The Crystal
by Lauren Wagner
Summary: Set in a Medieval world. Various members of the X-men must stop a king from killing all of the
1. Friends Meet

The tavern was a musty old place, its patrons in small huddled groups at the tables and on the stools at the bar. No one bothered to look up as someone new entered the tavern; except for three men in the far back of the room. The newcomer wore a black cloak, covering his entire body and face with the hood. When he sat down at the bar, movement on his back could be seen slightly.  
  
The stranger was quiet, keeping his head down mostly. He didn't notice the bartender standing in front of him, until finally, he cleared his throat loudly. The stranger gave a soft gasp, jerking up a bit. His hood fell back and showed his young face, his hair a golden blonde and his eyes a sky blue, matching the color of his skin.  
  
The men in the tavern all got up, staring at the blue man in horror. The only ones sitting were the three in the back. The blue man slowly stood up, backing away, with his hands raised up in defense. His foot fell on the bottom of the cloak, and he stumbled, making it rip off. Feathery white wings spread wide on his back, making everyone take a step back.  
  
For a moment, no one moved at all. Then, a tall man took his chair and smashed it on the ground, picking up one of the legs like a club. He charged at the blue man, and an uproar broke out.  
  
The blue man was knocked against one of the walls, and he was punched and kicked repeatedly, his wings flailing around uselessly. The man with the club raised it up, ready to smash in his head. Suddenly, a man's fist smashed into his face and he was thrown back against the bar.  
  
Looking up, the blue man saw that the one who had thrown the punch was a short, muscled man with wild black hair that went in two points, and burning blue eyes that were narrowed in anger. The man looked at him for a moment, before he began to throw more punches into random faces, the whole tavern surging towards them.  
  
One of the men, drew a long dagger and he charged at the man's back.  
  
Suddenly, in a BAMF of sulfur and brimstone, a young man appeared beside him, tripping him with the blade of one of his rapiers. In another BAMF, the young man was beside the blue man. Before he knew what was happening, the young man had grabbed his arm, and the blue man felt nothing.  
  
In a BAMF, he was outside beside the young man. The young man sheathed his rapier, brushing a strand of blue hair from his face. He looked him over with yellow eyes and he laughed softly, shaking his head.  
  
"You're lucky ve vere in zhere tonight, mein freund." He said. "Logan vas looking for an excuse to start a fight any vay." He noticed that the blue man was a bit unsteady, and he gently took hold of his arm. "Zhe feeling vill leave after a moment or two." He explained.  
  
A drunk was thrown screaming from one of the windows, making the blue man wince. The young man however, didn't even bother to look over. "Vhat is your name?" he asked.  
  
"Uh Warren." He stammered, looking at the groaning man with some worry.  
  
"Vell, it is nice to meet you, Varren. My name is Kurt. Vhen my two friends are done, you vill meet Logan und Scott." Kurt explained, with a slight bow.  
  
Inside the tavern, Logan picked up a man by the throat, and he slammed him into a table, snapping it into pieces.  
  
"Ya could help out a little, bub!" he shouted over to a red haired man in the back.  
  
Scott rolled his amber eyes, stuffing bottles of liquor and ale into his haversack. "I am helping!" he shouted, over his shoulder.  
  
Growling, Logan took two men and smashed their heads together. "I'm done for now. Get out on yer own, Scottie boy!" he barked, stepping back.  
  
Two men ran at him with clubs. Smirking, he let his metal claws out with a SNIKT, and he faced them. They froze and dropped their clubs at once. Nodding, Logan left out the door, retracting his claws.  
  
"Vhere is Scott?" Kurt asked, placing his hands on his hips. "You didn't leave him in zhere did you?"  
  
"He'll come out after he's taken as much booze as he can hold." Logan said, waving a hand in dismissal. "So, who's this?" he asked.  
  
"My name is Warren, sir." He said softly.  
  
Logan cocked an eyebrow, as Kurt burst into laughter. "Just Logan, Warren." He said, digging through his pocket for a moment. He took out a cigar and he lit it, taking a deep drag. "I think we should start going before Scottie blows the place up." He said to Kurt.  
  
Nodding, Kurt turned to Warren. "I zhink you should come vith us, Varren. Those men vill not be too happy vhen ve are gone!"  
  
"All right, but where are we going?" Warren asked, walking beside Kurt.  
  
"Our camp in the forest." Logan answered.  
  
"What about your friend?" Logan snorted, shaking his head.  
  
"He'll be fine."  
  
Inside the tavern, Scott was standing on top of one of the tables, holding the people back with a chair. Looking around, he bit his lower lip, trying to think of how he was going to get out of here. He narrowed his eyes, and they slowly began to glow bright red. He closed his eyes, and the red light seemed to come from under his eyelids. When he opened his eyes, an optic blast erupted, blasting the men away from him. When his eyes dimmed back down, he ran off after Logan and the others.  
  
"Wait up for me dammit!" he shouted. Kurt laughed, placing his hands on his hips, and looking at Scott over his shoulder.  
  
"How many bottles did you get?" he asked. Slowing down, Scott looked through the bag with a shrug.  
  
"Enough to sell to make a profit. We could even keep a few ourselves." He answered with a smirk. He looked over at Warren, slinging the bag over one shoulder. "Thanks for the distraction. Saved us the trouble of starting the fight ourselves!" Warren blushed a faint purple.  
  
"Um no problem." He mumbled. "Where is your camp anyway?" he asked, wanting to change the subject. Kurt shrugged, as they entered the forest.  
  
"Ve are not too far avay really." He admitted. He looked a head and he pointed to where a small fire was burning. "In fact, it is right zhere!" he said with a smile. He started to head for a camp, oblivious to the trees around him.  
  
Logan stopped, holding an arm out in front of Warren and Scott. He sniffed the air lightly, and he growled softly. "Kurt!" he hissed softly. "Kurt, don't!"  
  
It was too late. As soon as Kurt entered their camp, he was pounced upon by a group of ten men who held him down and struck him upside the head, messing with his senses. They disarmed him swiftly and bound his hands and ankles tightly.  
  
"Shit!" Logan hissed, grabbing Scott and Warren by the arms. He pulled them into the trees, telling them to keep quiet lest they be caught too.  
  
"What about your friend?!" Warren whispered. Logan watched the men for a moment, before he turned back to Warren.  
  
"We'll have to wait and see when he wakes up." He whispers, shrugging his shoulders. "We need to get closer." Slowly, they headed closer towards the area, watching as two of the men forced Kurt to sit up.  
  
Kurt groaned shaking his head a bit, before opening his eyes with some effort. He looked around and he rolled his eyes. "Great. Another band of bounty hunters!" he mumbled.  
  
"Shut up! We have some question we need you to answer!" the leader snapped, crouching in front of Kurt. Kurt scoffed, and shook his head a bit.  
  
"Vhat makes you zhink I vill answer any of your questions?" he demanded. "You come in my camp und beat me und tie me up? Now you vant answers? You're crazy!" His head snapped to one side, as a hand struck him across the face.  
  
"Oh that was stupid." Scott whispered. Logan nodded, smiling slightly.  
  
"He won't be needing our help after all." He said. Warren raised his eyebrows, looking at them in surprise.  
  
"But he's being held prisoner! He does need our help!" he protested softly. Logan looked at him calmly.  
  
"Wait and see, Warren." He said simply.  
  
"Ok, now vhat vas zat for?" Kurt demanded, spitting out blood.  
  
"Where is the witch Raven Darkholme?" the leader demanded. Kurt smiled, shrugging a bit.  
  
"Vhat makes you zhink I know vhere she is?" he asked. One of the others walked up and spit on him, the spit landing just under his right eye.  
  
"Just tell us where she is dammit!" the man snapped. Kurt narrowed his eyes, giving a soft feral growl.  
  
"You should not have done zat, mein freund." He snarled softly. "You should never spit on someone if you don't know zheir secrets!" He looked into the leader's eyes, and he narrowed his own, another feral growl coming from his lips. "Especially vhen zat someone is me!"  
  
"What's he going to do?" Warren whispered.  
  
"Just watch." Logan whispered softly. Scott snickered softly, crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
"I bet you ten gold he rips them apart in at least five minutes." He whispered.  
  
"Yer on." Logan nodded. "I bet he does it in three minutes!"  
  
"What are you talking about?" Warren asked, cocking an eyebrow. Smiling, Logan pointed at Kurt.  
  
The growling became louder and then, Kurt let his demon out. 


	2. Mother Dear

The men watched Kurt with mock horror, and then it melted into real horror just as swiftly. When Kurt opened his mouth, his canines were slowly growing longer and sharper. His yellow eyes began to glow, and they melted away until his entire eye was just yellow and glowing. His ears became pointed, and his body slowly began to shift, his skin becoming covered in a blue fur. With a rip, his shoes were torn off as his feet became larger and more disfigured. A tail shot up, and spit into a spade on the tip.  
  
Before the bounty hunters knew what was happening, Kurt slipped free of hid bonds, and his tail was wrapped around the closest man's throat. With a twist, he snapped his neck and hurled him at the others. Before they could figure out what was going on, Kurt sprang forward, grabbing his rapiers and drawing them. He moved swiftly, teleporting and leaping around, slitting throats and stabbing backs. When he was done, the only one left was the one who had spit on his face.  
  
Smiling, Kurt stepped back, going into the en garde position. "Come on zhen! See if you can avenge your friends!" he spat at him, baring his fangs. The man charged, raising his sword up high. Kurt merely had to step to the side, then he merely stabbed forward, slaying the man instantly.  
  
Laughing, he pulled his rapier out, and he looked into the trees. "You can come out now!" he called. Logan came out laughing, and he struck Kurt lightly on the back, splitting the ten gold Scott had been forced to pay up.  
  
Warren was a bit hesitant to come out.  
  
"Vhat's the matter?" Kurt asked, placing his hands on his hips. Seeing the look on Warren's face, he laughed and shrugged. "I suppose zhis surprised you a bit, ja? Vell hold on a moment." Slowly, he turned back to a normal human, his tail being the last thing to go. "Better?"  
  
"You killed them all!" Warren gasped softly, walking up slowly. Kurt laughed, shrugging.  
  
"Vell, zhat vas zhe general idea!" he said. He and the others started to loot the bodies, stuffing valuables into their bags. When they had finished, they made the fire stronger and sat down.  
  
"And you guys knew he could turn into a demon?" Warren asked, looking at Scott and Logan.  
  
"Yup."  
  
"And that he could kill people like that?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"And you didn't tell me that!?"  
  
"Yup." Warren frowned, crossing his arms over his chest.  
  
"Well I don't see why you can be so calm about this!" he snapped finally. Kurt laughed, laying on his side, propping his head up by one hand.  
  
"Are you zhat upset?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
"As a matter of fact; yes!" Warren snapped.  
  
Logan rolled his eyes, listening to the two argue back and forth. He looked through one of the men's bags and he found a rolled up piece of parchment. Unrolling it, he read it to himself, frowning a bit.  
  
"Hey guys, it looks like they weren't just looking for Raven." He said, turning to the others.  
  
"Who else were they looking for?" Scott asked. Logan checked the list, cocking an eyebrow slightly.  
  
"Hank McCoy, Charles Xavier, Margali, Amanda Sefton, and someone named Erik Lensherr." He read. He looked at the others, his eyebrows raised slightly. "I think I'm seeing a pattern here."  
  
"What kind of pattern?" Warren asked, cocking his head slightly in confusion. Scott rolled his eyes, shaking his head.  
  
"Did you crawl out from under a rock? All those people on the list are either really intelligent, or really powerful in the magic or gifted sense." Scott explained.  
  
"The question is," Logan said, "why is the King after them?"  
  
"Vell I zhink ve should go und ask Raven vhy zhey are after her." Kurt suggested. Logan cocked an eyebrow slightly.  
  
"Are you sure she'll let us into her house?" he asked. "You remember what happened the last time we came over right?"  
  
"She doesn't hold grudges for long." Kurt assured him.  
  
"How do you know so much about this witch?" Warren asked, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
"Vell, considering she is my mutter und all."  
  
"WHAT?!" Logan sighed, pressing two fingers against the bridge of his nose.  
  
"This is going to be a long night." He mumbled to Scott. Nodding, Scott rolled out two sleeping bags.  
  
"We might as well get some sleep now." As the two laid down, Kurt and Warren continued to argue back and forth, until they finally fell asleep themselves.  
  
The next morning, Warren awoke and he found that only Scott was sleeping around the dying fire. Logan and Kurt were gone. Standing up, he stretched his wings out, ruffling them a bit. Soft mutters from far off caught his attention, and he headed that way, trying to be as quiet as possible. He found Kurt, sitting tailor style on the ground, muttering softly.  
  
"Vater Unser im Himmel, Geheiligt werde Dein Name, Dein Reich komme. Dein Wille geschehe, Wie im Himmel, so auf Erden. Unser tägliches Brot gib uns heute, Und vergib uns unsere Schuld, Wie auch wir vergeben unseren Schuldigern. Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung, Sondern erlöse uns von dem Bösen. Denn Dein ist das Reich und die Kraft und die Herrlichkeit, in Ewigkeit." Warren took a step back, causing a twig to snap. Kurt stopped, turning his head sharply.  
  
Seeing it was only Warren, he relaxed and stood up. "Did I vake you?" he asked.  
  
"No, I was all ready awake. Scott's still sleeping and Logan's gone too." Warren said, still a little surprised. Kurt placed his hands on his hips, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Are you surprised zhat I vas praying?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer, Kurt brushed past Warren, and he started to pack up his things, smacking Scott in the process.  
  
"I'm awake!" Scott shouted, sitting up. "I swear I was so awake!" Rolling his eyes, Kurt stood up, his pack over one shoulder.  
  
"Shut up. Logan has all ready gone off!" he snapped, starting to walk off.  
  
"How does he know where Logan went?" Warren asked, waiting for Scott.  
  
" Logan made an easy trail for us to follow. He never likes to wait around when we have to go visit someone like Raven."  
  
"She really is Kurt's mother though?"  
  
"Oh of course. If you've ever seen her, she looks exactly like he does when he goes into his demon form." Scott said, spotting Logan up a head. When they finally caught up with the two, Logan had his head raised, and he was sniffing the air slightly. He cocked an eyebrow, looking over at Kurt.  
  
"She moved her castle again?" he asked. Kurt shrugged, looking around.  
  
"News to me."  
  
"She can move her castle?" Warren piped in. Kurt rolled his eyes.  
  
"Ja, my mutter can move her castle around. She is a vitch. Zhey can do zhat. Now please refrain from asking stupid questions." He warned softly. With that, they moved on in silence, moving through the trees without much noise, except for Warren's wings brushing up against branches, causing birds to scatter about, squawking loudly.  
  
When the trees became scarce, Warren saw a large tower that was worn down, with a large gaping hole in the ceiling. It was made from ancient looking brick, pieces falling off in little showers with every little wind blow. As they got closer, they could hear the wood from the roof groaning from the strain of old age.  
  
The gates were drawn, but it was really useless, since there were huge maggot eaten holes where a person could simply walk through. Kurt held up a hand, stopping everyone from going inside.  
  
"I zhink I should go inside und talk to her first." He said. Nodding, Logan stepped back, crossing his arms across his chest.  
  
"Be careful, Kurt."  
  
Smiling, Kurt shrugged and he stepped inside. The tower was lit by rows of white candles, some resting on old rotting tables, others simply floating in mid-air. There was a spiraling flight of stairs, which were broken in some places, others missing large chunks. Looking up the stairs, Kurt saw a small light coming from the only room upstairs.  
  
"Mutter? Mutter, I'm here vith my friends." He called.  
  
"Go away!" a voice hissed softly. Sighing, Kurt shook his head, placing his hands on his hips.  
  
"Vhy don't you vant to see me?" he asked, trying to sound as calm and friendly as possible. "It is very important zhat I und my friends see you, mutter. It's been so long!"  
  
"My son! He comes here in his disgusting human form, and he brings his friends with him! You just want to take me to the King! I know you; greedy boy!" Raven hissed softly. With a sigh, Kurt transformed into his demon form.  
  
"I'm in my demon form now, mutter. May I please come up zhere? Ve are not planning on taking you to zhe King!" he swore. He waited for a few moments in silence, placing his hands on his hips.  
  
"Very well then. Come up here." With a BAMF, Kurt was standing in the doorway of her room. Raven sat on an old bed, dressed in a white dress that seemed more suited to a woman working in a brothel than a witch. Her skin was a deep blue, making her yellow eyes seem to glow brighter than usual. Tilting her head to one side, she caused a few strands of her short red hair to fall in front of her face. Smiling, she got up and embraced her son.  
  
"That is my son! Not that filthy version you use when you leave here!" she laughed, brushing a strand of hair from his eyes.  
  
"Mutter, can my friends come in?" Kurt asked.  
  
"There's someone else with the usual two. He has blue skin and white wings." Raven said softly.  
  
"Ja, he is a new friend named Varren. Can he come in too?" Kurt asked.  
  
"Very well. Call your friends inside. This Warren is getting close to being stabbed by Logan with his constant questions anyway." Kurt laughed softly and he shook his head, taking her hands carefully. He teleported them downstairs, and he turned back to his human form.  
  
"Mutter says you can come in now." He announced.  
  
"I swear to God, Warren! If you ask one more question, I'm going to run you through with my claws." Logan growled, stepping inside, his claws all ready out. Kurt looked over at his mother, stifling a laugh. Logan rolled his eyes, sliding his claws into place.  
  
"This may sound dumb." Scott started.  
  
"I know the King is after me." Raven said.  
  
"So why is he?" Logan asked. "Did you kill another noble?"  
  
"People claim that my price has gotten too high for that anymore. I merely sell potions and charms to stupid love struck teenagers now." Raven said. "As for the King's reasons, I honestly have no idea. For someone my spells can't pierce into his thinking. Margali and her daughter Amanda couldn't do it either with their spells." She added.  
  
"Do you know vhere zhey are?" Kurt asked.  
  
"No, they were captured. The King has captured everyone except Hank McCoy." She said simply.  
  
"Then we need to find this Hank McCoy and see if he knows what's going on. If he doesn't, then we're going to the King." Logan said, his voice getting very soft and dangerous.  
  
"That will have to wait." Raven said.  
  
"Why?"  
  
There was a blast of fire and brick as a cannon ball ripped through the wall, just barely missing Scott's head. From the hole came a troop of twenty knights. At the head stood a mounted lord, who pointed his lance at Raven.  
  
"In the name of his majesty, King Graydon Creed the First; I place you and your son's colleagues under arrest! Will you come quietly or not?" 


	3. A Thieves Help

A resounding SNIKT rang out as Logan's claws came out, giving the knights and their lord their answer. Logan charged forward as they fired another cannon ball into the tower, ripping apart more of the wall. Kurt teleported himself and his mother from the tower, watching as it started to topple over.  
  
Warren spread his wings and with a swift flick, he was in the air. He soared up out of arrow range, waiting for a moment before he dove down like a missile. As he flew, he drew a scimitar, which he had kept hidden under his cloak. When he smashed into the stunned knights, he was able to kill three before he landed on his feet.  
  
Logan was ripping through the knights, his claws finding throats and chests easily. Driving both sets of claws into one chest, he leapt up, planting his feet on the knight's stomach. Kicking back, he flew backwards into the air, signaling for Scott.  
  
Nodding, Scott looked over at a group of four knights, and he narrowed his eyes. His eyes slowly built up into a crimson red color, before the redness erupted forward in an optic blast that slew the knights.  
  
Raven watched with amusement as Kurt fought in human form with his twin rapiers. Looking over to the side, she saw the lord holding back, shouting at the knights to kill them. Her body slowly began to shiver and her skin melted away and reformed as she turned into one of the knights she had seen killed a moment ago. Putting on a picture of fear, she ran towards him.  
  
"M'lord! I don't think we can take them!" she shouted. Angrily, the lord turned on her and pointed his lance at her.  
  
"Don't be a coward! Go back there and fight!" he shouted. Seeing the knight draw his sword, he nodded and turned his head back to the action, barely noticing him swing his blade until his head was off his shoulders.  
  
Smirking, Raven turned into the lord and she leapt onto the horses back, riding to the group. "Retreat! Head back to the castle at once!" she shouted. The remaining three knights ran as fast as they could out of there, not noticing that their lord wasn't following them.  
  
Dismounting, Raven turned back to her normal body, smirking. "I think that went well, don't you agree?" she asked.  
  
"We need to hurry up before those knights call in back up." Logan pointed out, sliding in his blood soaked claws.  
  
"We need to go look for this Hank before the King gets his hands on him." Scott said. "Do you know where he is right now?" he asked, turning to Raven.  
  
"Of course I do! He's in the city of Balan right now." Raven said.  
  
"Balan? But zhat is a two veek's valk from here." Kurt pointed out. Raven crossed her arms across her chest, giving her son a stern glare.  
  
"How can you have forgotten everything your mother can do?" she demanded. Sighing, she shook her head, pressing the bridge of her nose with two fingers. "I can easily take us there by making your teleportation portal reach a longer distance! Now get ready to teleport us to that tree over there." She said, pointing to a large oak in the distance.  
  
Kurt transformed into his demon form, holding his hands and tail for everyone to hold onto. With a BAMF, he teleported.  
  
As soon as Kurt teleported, Raven clapped a hand on his forehead, chanting softly. Their eyes started to glow a bright golden color, and everyone could feel as if they were being pulled by a string tied to their foreheads.  
  
With a BAMF of brimstone and sulfur, they found themselves in an alleyway, startling a few homeless people. Kurt's legs gave out, and Logan had to catch him before he smashed his head on the paved ground.  
  
"Ya ok, Elf?" he asked, looking at him worriedly.  
  
"Ja, I zhink so." Kurt mumbled, slowly struggling to stand on his own feet. "Just a bit veak at zhe moment."  
  
Ignoring them, Raven transformed into a blond woman with jade green eyes. "Come on, we don't have time to waste worrying about my son at the moment." She snapped, walking out of the alleyway and into the street.  
  
The city was bustling with activity, street vendors shouting out prices and deals to the shoppers as they walked by. Large stone buildings loomed overhead. Logan took a look around the area, and he cursed softly under his breath.  
  
"How are we going to find this Hank in this crowd?" he demanded, turning to Raven.  
  
"It will be easy. Just look for the girl who walks through walls." Raven said. "I think in order for this to work, we need to split up. We'll meet by that fruit vendor when we're done." She directed, walking away without another word.  
  
"Good old mutter." Kurt mumbled, heading north.  
  
"See you guys later." Scott said, going east.  
  
"If you fly up for a bit, you'll be able to see the whole city. Try to look for any girls walking through walls." Logan told Warren. With that, he walked off into a crowd of people.  
  
Nodding, Warren spread his wings out, and he soared high into the air. With a few large flaps, he was high overhead, able to see everything below. He spread his wings out, soaring on the thermals as he went over the city. Someone caught his eye and he slowly landed on a building top. Looking over the side, he looked around and he found the person that had caught his attention.  
  
A young man in a suede duster jacket was walking by himself, people giving him a wide berth as they walked past him, except for those who were obviously new to the city.  
  
Cocking an eyebrow, Warren swooped down and he slowly started to follow after the man, keeping a good distance away.  
  
Walking by a fruit vendor, the young man swiped up an apple, tossing it into the air as he walked on by, believing he hadn't been noticed.  
  
"Hey! You didn't pay for that!" the owner shouted, pointing at the young man.  
  
"Merde." The man mumbled. Turning around, he pulled his arm back, the apple starting to glow bright colors before he threw it, making it explode into the vendor's cart. Amid the chaos, the young man turned and ran down an alleyway.  
  
"Hey!" Warren slipped through the jostling crowd, and he chased after the would be thief. He followed him down the alleyway, barely able to keep up. He flapped his wing, giving himself a slight boost as he soared after him, grabbing him by the arms tightly.  
  
"Wot de 'ell!?"  
  
Warren soared up onto a roof and dropped the thief, landing beside him. "All right now." Before Warren could finish his sentence, the thief had pulled out a deck of cards and he hurled a charged one at him. Throwing himself to the side, he saw the card explode harmlessly in the air.  
  
"Now hold on a minute!" he shouted, leaping to his feet and drawing his scimitars.  
  
"An' why should I do dat? Y' de 'un who grabbed me, homme!" the thief spat, getting his cards ready.  
  
"We're both Gifted and I thought you could help me!" Warren insisted. The thief cocked an eyebrow.  
  
"'ow kin I trus' y'?" he asked. With a clatter, Warren threw his blades at the thieves feet.  
  
"My name is Warren Worthington the Third. I need your help in finding a man named Hank McCoy. He should be with a girl who can walk through walls." He said calmly. The thief looked Warren over for a moment, then with a shrug, he kicked his scimitars back over to him.  
  
"Mah name is Remy Lebeau, an' de only way I'm gonna 'elp y' is if y' kin prove dat y' don' work fo' de King." He said calmly. Cocking an eyebrow, Warren spread his wings out wide.  
  
"These don't?" he asked.  
  
"Dere ar' dose dat ar' Gifted an' work fo' de King." Remy explained. Sighing, Warren thought for a moment.  
  
"The King is also after a witch named Raven Darkholme. One of my friends is her son. If we find my friends, will that prove it?" he asked.  
  
"Fine." Remy agreed, putting his cards back into his pocket. "Where we goin' tae meet dese friends o' yers?" he asked.  
  
"We plan on meeting at the.oops." Warren muttered.  
  
"Oops?" Remy asked.  
  
"We were supposed to meet at the fruit vendor but something tells me that he won't like seeing you again." Warren raised his eyebrows as Remy started to laugh softly. "Well I don't see what's so funny." He said.  
  
"'e won' remembah dat et was me. 'e nevah does." Remy explained with a shrug. "Ole Billy can' remembah wot 'e ate five minutes latah." Warren thought over this for a moment, then he shrugged with a sigh.  
  
"If you say so." He said simply. "I think we better head there now in case any of the others have arrived."  
  
When the two walked back to the fruit vendor, everything had been cleaned up, and the owner even smiled and waved, not recognizing Remy. Kurt was leaning on the cart with a red headed woman beside him.  
  
"Did you find the girl?" Raven asked, not waiting for Warren to get there yet. Warren blinked for a moment in confusion. Sighing, she let her eyes turn yellow for a moment. "It's me you twit."  
  
"Oh. Well no, I didn't find the girl, but I did find someone who knows where she and McCoy are." Warren said, pointing to Remy.  
  
"Enchante Mesdames." Remy said, taking her hand and kissing it lightly. Rolling her eyes, Raven ripped her hand away and gave it to Kurt. Sighing, he wiped it with a handkerchief.  
  
"Mutter does not like being touched by men, except me." He explained, shrugging slightly.  
  
"Dis mus' really be Raven den huh?" Remy asked, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
"Yes, I'm the witch Raven. Now tell us where McCoy is before I'm forced to break your hand for touching me." Raven warned sweetly.  
  
As Remy crossed his arms across his chest in surprise, Logan and Scott walked up, Logan looking Remy over for a moment. "Who the hell is this?" he asked.  
  
"De name is Remy Lebeau, an' I was goin' tae tell y' where 'ank is." Remy snapped. "Now I'm not so sure." He added. Kurt knew what he meant at once.  
  
"How much?" he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Smirking, Remy leaned his back against the cart, rolling a card through his fingers like a coin.  
  
"'ow much y' t'ink et worth?" he countered. There was a soft clinking sound, as Logan tossed a bag of coins at Remy's feet.  
  
"Ask for more and I'm ripping yer damned throat out." He growled, narrowing his eyes and cracking his knuckles. Shrugging, Remy stooped down and picked up he money, weighing it in his hand for a moment.  
  
"Good enough." He shrugged, pocketing the money. "All righ' den, 'ank an' Kitty."  
  
"Kitty?" Warren interrupted.  
  
"De girl who kin walk through walls." Remy sighed. "Dey ar' in de ole library in de back o' de city. If y' wan' tae git in, y' 'ave tae say yer name an' den say 'King Graydon Creed is a son o' a bitch.' Den dey will let y' in." Remy instructed. With that, he turned around and started to walk off. "Good luck!" he called over his shoulder. 


	4. More Allies

"Ya sure this is the right place?" Logan asked, looking up at the library. It was an old decrepit looking building with the smashed in windows boarded up. The door had one large board across it, making it impossible to simply slip into the door, or to even try and break through.  
"It is." Raven assured him. "Go and give the password."  
"How do we know anyone is listening?" Logan asked, cocking an eyebrow. Rolling his eyes, Kurt stepped up to the door.  
"King Graydon Creed is a son of a bitch." He said. They waited for a moment in silence. When it started to take longer, Logan snorted.  
"I knew this wasn.."  
"Take my hand!" a girl's voice said, as a hand suddenly came through the door. It waited there calmly, its palm up waiting for someone to take it.  
Raven walked up and took the hand, becoming invisible to the others and slipping inside. The hand came out once more and one by one, they took it and phased through the door.  
When everyone was inside, they found themselves standing in front of a young woman with long chestnut curls and amber eyes. Smiling, she looked them over and headed down the dark hallway.  
"Follow me if you want to meet Hank." She said over her shoulder. Sharing a confused look, they followed after her.  
"I don't suppose you have a name?" Kurt asked, walking up beside her.  
"My name's Kitty." She said simply. She looked over at him and smiled. "You must be those Gifted thieves we hear so much about in here." Laughing, Kurt bowed slightly.  
"Guilty as charged I am afraid." He said. Behind him, Logan and Scott shared a look and Logan rolled his eyes.  
"She's much to young for ya, Elf." He said. Confused, Kurt stopped and placed his hands on his hips.  
"Vhat are you talking about?" he asked.  
"She's only sixteen." Logan explained.  
"Ach, how do you know zhat?" he demanded.  
"He's right." Kitty piped in. Startled, Kurt looked at her with raised eyebrows. "I look older right? Besides, I have a boyfriend all ready named Piotr." Kurt tried his best to keep a straight face, despite Logan and Scott's barely suppressed snickers. Kitty looked at them with raised eyebrows and she shrugged, turning the corner, and leading them down a hallway.  
"What do you want to talk to Hank about anyway?" she asked.  
"We wish to talk to him about why the King is after both him and myself along with a few other Gifted people." Raven explained.  
"Oh that. He doesn't know either, but I'm sure you both could think of something." She said. She stopped at a large door and she opened it, stepping to one side with a smile. "Go on in." she said.  
Stepping inside, they found themselves inside a large and vast library filled wall to wall with books of all shapes and sizes. The topics ranged from simple child books to books of various philosophy's and doctrines. They heard two people talking behind a large shelf with child books.  
"My dear friend, you're going to have to learn how to write in English if you want to make it in this country!" an educated voice said. A snort was its answer.  
"I don't need to learn how to write in English! My words are made in my paintings." a voice with a Russian accent said.  
"Yes, but unfortunately no one can understand what your art is trying to say." the educated voice reasoned. Walking around the shelf, they saw the two people talking and Logan couldn't help but laugh softly.  
"Looks like Kurt's not the only one with blue fur!" The owner of the educated voice looked up and smiled, standing up and walking up to them.  
"Why hello there. My name is Hank McCoy." 


	5. Piggy Back Rides

Hank McCoy looked almost like a blue gorilla in shaggy dark blue fur. Fangs poked out from his under his lips and he had claws on each of his fingers. Despite his beastly appearance, he wore small glasses on the edge of his nose and he wore a coat much like a doctors.  
  
Smiling, he held out his hand and shook each of theirs in turn.  
  
"Well, since you're here, you must be on the right side." He said. He turned and indicated a young slowly rising from his seat at a table. "This is Piotr Rasputin." He said. Towering over all of them, Piotr walked up and nodded his head a bit in greetings, crossing his arms across his chest.  
  
Kurt looked him up and down and he slowly smiled almost in an evil way. Seeing the look on his face, Logan rolled his eyes. Smiling, Kurt rubbed the palms of his hands together, plotting silently in his head. He didn't notice that everyone was looking at him.  
  
"Um Kurt? What are you doing?" Warren asked, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
"Plotting." Kurt said simply. Smiling, he looked up at Piotr. "So, you must be pretty strong, ja?" he asked. Cocking an eyebrow, Piotr nodded.  
  
"Da, my Gift is turning into steel." He said, still wondering why he wanted to know. Kurt's smile became even more devious.  
  
"Just get it over with, Kurt." Logan sighed. Kurt put on a mock hurt face.  
  
"Vhat are you talking about?" he asked. The two looked each other in the eyes, and Kurt could barely suppress his laughter. Sighing, Raven clicked her teeth together and shook her head.  
  
"We need to talk about this king issue, Hank." She said, heading towards a bookshelf. Before they could get too far away, there was a BAMF and a startled shout from Piotr. Turning around, Raven couldn't help the twitching in her lip.  
  
Laughing, Kurt perched on Piotr's shoulders in demon form, his tail wrapped around his eyes. Furiously, Piotr tried to knock him off.  
  
"Get off dammit!" he shouted, getting furious.  
  
"Now calm down, mein freund!" Kurt laughed, looking down at him. "I am merely testing you out for further use."  
  
"He does this every time he either sees someone taller than him, or someone who can be stronger than him." Logan sighed, placing his arms across his chest.  
  
"Why does he do it?" Warren asked, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
"In case he needs a lift." Scott laughed.  
  
"Get off!!" Piotr shouted, going into steel form swiftly. Grabbing Kurt's tail, he pulled as hard as he could, nearly swinging Kurt into a shelf. Kurt was able to teleport and land on top if it, still smiling down at him in demon form.  
  
"It vas harmless fun!" he insisted, wagging his tail at Piotr sternly.  
  
"Should I be worried?" Raven asked, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
"Oh not at all. Piotr is quite harmless really, unless you try to harm his little sister of course." He added, smiling faintly. "Now you wanted to talk in private I believe?"  
  
"Yes." Raven nodded, looking over as Kurt leapt down and turned back to a human trying to soothe Piotr's temper down a bit. "If we stay here, these idiots will keep interrupting us." She explained. Hank raised his eyebrows slightly, but he kept quiet, shrugging and leading her into his office to talk.  
  
"Come on, mein freund. Ve are going to be vorking on zhe same team any vay! Vhy not get it over vith now so zhat it is not a surprise later?" Kurt tried, smiling sweetly.  
  
"I do not give piggy back rides!" Piotr snapped, placing his hands on hips as he slid back into his normal form.  
  
"Big brother!"  
  
A little girl with golden hair and blue eyes ran up to Piotr, her arms held up. Smiling, Piotr scooped her up and lifted her over his head and onto his shoulders.  
  
"Oh you don't huh?" Kurt asked, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
"She is my sister. It's different than a complete stranger." Piotr said.  
  
"And what's your name?" Warren asked, smiling at the little girl.  
  
"I'm not allowed to talk to strangers." She said, her grip around Piotr's neck getting tighter. "They could take me away from my big brother."  
  
"We're not like that." Warren assured her, smiling faintly. He spread his wings out slightly. "See?"  
  
"It's all right, snow flake." Piotr assured her, still eyeing Kurt warily. "They're good."  
  
"My name's Illyana." She said finally.  
  
"Well it seems to me that what needs to be done is a sneak entrance into the castle." Hank said, polishing his glasses on his furry arm.  
  
"You say that like it's so easy to do." Raven snorted. Smiling, Hank placed his glasses back onto his nose.  
  
"It is when you have the kind of friends I have." He countered with a smile. "Kitty can phase through solid objects, Piotr can simply smash through anything, and let us not forget Peter Wisdom with his fire knives. There are others I could name but that would take time that we don't seem to have at the moment." He added.  
  
"So you have a plan do you?" Raven asked, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
"Perhaps, but it will take some time to work out the little kinks in it." Hank said, shrugging a bit.  
  
"Well as long as the king doesn't know where we are, we can take as much time as we need to take in order to get into his castle." Raven said, getting up. "Now it's getting late. I think what would be good right now is some food and then rest."  
  
"My my, you certainly like taking charge of situations don't you?" Hank laughed, standing up with her.  
  
"I like to know that the plan is actually going to work." She said with a shrug. With that, she walked off on her own. 


	6. Intermission With A Busted Nose

"You bloody git! I'm kicking your ass all the way back to where you bloody came from!" As he entered the room, Hank raised his eyebrows slightly and he turned to Bobby Drake and Kurt, who were watching the transgression with faint smirks.  
  
"What on earth is going on?" he asked, walking up to them.  
  
"Logan used up the last of Pete's matches. When Pete confronted him about it, he broke the last of his cigarettes." Bobby laughed.  
  
"Why on earth did he do that?" Hank asked, raising his eyebrows.  
  
"Visdom decided to scream in his face about zhe matches instead of talking." Kurt pointed out. "As you know from us being here zhree days naow, he does not like being yelled at."  
  
"Oh dear, something tells me Pete is going to be nursing a broken jaw." Hank sighed.  
  
"I've got five silver on his nose." Bobby volunteered.  
  
"Und I am betting three gold on a simple black eye." Kurt added, smirking.  
  
"Well that is just disgusting. For shame on you two, placing bets on what kind of injury our dear friend Pete will suffer at the hands of Logan!" Hank said, placing his hands on his hips.  
  
"You wanna join in?" Bobby asked with a smirk. Hank looked dead serious for a moment, making Kurt and Bobby shift slightly.  
  
"One pink pearl for busted teeth." He said calmly, holding up his betting piece. Smirking, the three watched as Logan and Pete shouted back and forth at each other.  
  
"Look, Wisdom! Yell at me again, and I'm going to beat the ever living shit out of you." Logan growled, shifting his cigar to the other side of his mouth.  
  
"Oh really?" Pete sneered, placing his hands on his hips. He grabbed Logan's cigar and he crumbled it in his hand, throwing it in Logan's face. "What now?" he demanded.  
  
"I'll get the mop." Bobby muttered.  
  
"You really shouldn't have done that, you limey bastard." Logan snarled, baring his teeth and narrowing his eyes.  
  
"Bring it on!" Pete shouted.  
  
Logan's fist moved so fast, Pete didn't even realize he'd been hit for a few moments. Then, he felt a warm wetness flowing down to his lips, and he tasted copper. Placing a hand on his nose, he winced and pulled it away, heavy with blood. He passed out a second later.  
  
"Pay up." Bobby laughed, holding out a hand. As everyone paid Bobby, Warren walked into the room and he shook his head with a sigh.  
  
"Again?" he asked Logan.  
  
"Limey bastard started it this time." Logan said, shrugging his shoulders helplessly. Rolling his eyes, Warren dragged Pete's body to the medic room.  
  
"We've been here three days and Pete's been in the medic room five times all ready!" he sighed. 


	7. Bobby Screws Up

"I can't believe zhat's your plan." Kurt said, his eyes lowering slightly in irritation. He was sitting at a table with his mother, Hank, Logan, Peter Wisdom and Piotr Rasputin, Kitty, Scott, Warren, and Bobby.  
  
"It's a perfectly good plan." Raven insisted, crossing her arms across her chest.  
  
"All we do is wait in the woods for a royal caravan to come by, and then take over it? That's hardly a plan." Scott pointed out.  
  
"It will all be clear after we get in the woods and wait out a bit." Raven insisted. "All we have to do is wait for one to come, and then we'll take it over. Once we have that caravan, we can use it as a disguise and ride it to the castle."  
  
"Of course the guards won't be armed and ready for attacks." Peter muttered. Raven glared at him, grinding her teeth slightly.  
  
"I can do worse to you then Logan can ever do." She warned him softly.  
  
"Mutter, ve did not come here to make threats to zhose who vould help us." Kurt said softly.  
  
"Man, that plan has way too many holes in it to possibly work." Bobby said, shaking his head.  
  
"Actually, I think it is quite appropriate for our needs." Hank said. "Since we need to not only enter Graydon's castle, but find the other captives and find out what he plans on doing with them, taking the guise of a royal caravan would be helpful."  
  
"But how vould ve be able to sneak you in, Herr McCoy? No offense, but I can at least hide mein demonic looks. You on zhe other hand, cannot." Kurt said. Hank smiled and shook his head almost sadly.  
  
"Have you not figured it out yet, my fellow blue furred friend?" he asked. "I am also one of the people Graydon is looking for. All you would have to do is pretend to be soldiers who have taken me captive. This will help in two ways. One, I will also be able to get in and see what is the matter and two, it will get rid of any further doubt that you are indeed royal soldiers." Hank explained, cleaning his glasses on his arm calmly. "It's all quite logical." Cocking an eyebrow, Kurt thought it over and he shrugged a bit.  
  
"Actually it does sound logical vhen you put et zhat vay." He admitted. Smiling, Hank got up and clapped his massive paws together.  
  
"You see? If there are any other problems speak up, or else go and get ready. We are going as soon as possible." He said. He waited for a moment before he left with a nod to get his things ready. Logan cracked his knuckles, smirking a bit.  
  
"It's about time we got back into the saddle and busted some heads. I was getting tired of that Wisdom prick." He said. Kitty rolled her eyes.  
  
"You broke the poor guy's nose! He can barely breathe unless you stick a tube up his nose." She pointed out.  
  
"Hey, I told him not to mess with me. It's his own fault if he didn't listen to reason." Logan said.  
  
Snickering, Kurt shook his head, placing a hand over his eyes.  
  
Two hours later found Hank, Scott, Logan, Kurt, Warren, Raven, Piotr, Kitty, and Bobby waiting in the dense trees of the forest. Warren was soaring overhead at a safe distance, while Kurt stayed perched up in the highest tree.  
  
Logan, figuring that if they were going to try this they might as well try it right, stood on the side of the road in clear view, wearing a wide brimmed straw hat pulled over his eyes. Lifting his head a few times, he scanned down the road, waiting patiently for something or someone to show up. He tilted his head to one side as he watched a lone figure walking up, and he whistled sharply.  
  
Everyone stayed silent and hidden as the figure came closer. Raven smiled, seeing the uniform of the royal army. Changing her voice, she took a deep breath. "Halt!" a gruff voice ordered. Instinctively, the soldier stopped. Blinking, he looked around in confusion, drawing his sword swiftly.  
  
"Who's there?" he demanded, trying to see through the trees. He spun around when he heard some bushes rustling but he relaxed when he saw the lord whom King Graydon had sent out a few days ago.  
  
"What are you doing out here alone, soldier? You wouldn't be planning on deserting would you?!" the lord demanded, narrowing his eyes. The soldier quailed under his gaze, sheathing his blade swiftly.  
  
"No sir!" he said.  
  
"Speak up, soldier! What were you doing?" the lord demanded.  
  
"I was just patrolling this area." He said weakly.  
  
"Why are you patrolling this area?" he asked.  
  
"A caravan is going to be coming in an hour. I was sent a head to clear the path of rabble, sir." He explained. "Have I done something wrong?" Smiling, the lord placed an arm around his shoulders.  
  
"Of course not, soldier. In fact, I'm relieving you of your duties as of right now." Before the soldier could ask why, Raven snapped his neck and let his body slump to the ground. Frowning slightly, she stepped back and wiped her hands on her dress as the others ran up.  
  
"Kurt, wash my hands!" she said, holding them out. As Kurt washed them, she looked down at the body and sized it up. "Bobby could fit in this." She said.  
  
"What?! I'm not putting that thing on! It reeks from all the way over here!" Bobby protested.  
  
"No one else will fit in this uniform but you, Bobby." Hank said. "You have to."  
  
"I'm not doing it! Why can't Kurt give it a try! He's skinny enough." Bobby tried. Kurt snorted, drying his mother's hands.  
  
"I am too tall for zhat uniform." He said.  
  
"Well you know what? Tough, I'm not putting that on? You hear me? There is no way in hell you're going to get me to wear that!"  
  
***  
  
"I can't believe I'm wearing this." Bobby growled, looking down at himself.  
  
"Quit yer complaining an' put the helmet on." Logan snapped, holding it out.  
  
"It reeks!" Bobby protested.  
  
SNIKT!  
  
"Give me the damned thing." Bobby sighed, holding out a hand. Slipping on the helmet, he placed his hands on his hips. "Satisfied?"  
  
"Very. Now don't forget your lines or screw this up. We can't afford any mishaps." Logan directed.  
  
"I got it I got it! Jeez, you act like I'm immature or something." Kurt couldn't help but burst into laughter, making Bobby's cheeks burn bright red.  
  
"You should start walking before they get suspicious." Piotr said.  
  
"You guys owe me so much when this is done." Bobby muttered as he walked off.  
  
"Now when Bobby returns with the rest of the caravan, we wait until he gives the signal and then attack. Remember, we don't want to kill any of them or else we'll get blood on the uniforms." Hank said, watching after Bobby.  
  
"Zhen vhat are ve going to do vith zhem?" Kurt asked, cocking his head to one side.  
  
"We shall simply tie them up and dump them in a ditch after we take their uniforms. The animals shall deal with them afterwards." Hank answered simply. "Now come, we had better get to our positions before anyone sees us just standing around here."  
  
***  
  
When Bobby found the caravan, he pushed the visor on his helmet down over his eyes and he headed over to the one he figured was the head of the group.  
  
"Excuse me?" he asked, trying to sound older than he was.  
  
"What did you see up a head?" the leader asked, placing his hands on his hips.  
  
"Uhhh." Bobby cursed softly in his mind, having forgotten his lines completely. "Um well, you see, sir."  
  
"Speak up!"  
  
"I saw a group of Gifted in the middle of the road?" he guessed, unable to hide the squeak in his voice.  
  
"Gifted? What did they look like?" the leader asked, becoming more interested suddenly.  
  
"Well, one of them was the doctor and those three thieves were also there." Bobby said, growing confident that he was doing all right for someone simply winging it. "They didn't see me so we could just sneak up on them and take them out with no problem, sir!" he said. The leader thought this over and he nodded.  
  
"Get ready to march!" he ordered.  
  
Bobby smiled; he had actually pulled it off!  
  
***  
  
"Oh my God. Bobby actually pulled it off." Scott said, raising his eyebrows as the caravan came into view. Logan nodded, releasing his claws now.  
  
"Get ready to shoot down those two trees to block their path." He said, watching their progress. He looked up to where Warren was soaring overhead and he tilted his claws in the light to reflect it sharply. Warren did a swift barrel roll to show he had seen the message.  
  
"This is going to be a piece of cake." Scott said with a smile.  
  
Everyone was ready to strike, waiting for Bobby to give the signal.  
  
Of course, Bobby screwed up. 


	8. Amanda's Eyes

Everyone was waiting for Bobby to give the signal to strike. Sadly, he forgot that he was supposed to give them a signal at all! As the caravan continued to ride on, he was simply talking with the leader; acting as if nothing was wrong, wondering why the heck the others hadn't attacked yet.  
  
"What is he waiting for?" Scott whispered to Logan. Logan narrowed his eyes, shrugging slightly in confusion.  
  
"Where is this group of Gifted you were talking about?" the leader demanded, turning on Bobby. Gulping, Bobby looked around frantically before he turned back to the leader.  
  
"They were here when I was, sir." He said lamely.  
  
"They've probably moved on by now!" the leader shouted in his face. "How could you be so stupid?" he demanded, leaning closer, his hand resting on his hilt. Bobby was stuck simply stammering excuses weakly as the leader drew his blade.  
  
With a whoosh, Warren swooped down and scooped the leader up by his arms, flying up into the sky. Before anyone on either side could do any thing, he let him drop and he landed with a loud crunch.  
  
Quickly, Logan and the others started to attack, Scott using his optic blasts to knock down the trees on either side of the caravan to trap them. The fight was relatively short, the soldiers being too shaken by the sight of their leader being smashed against the ground like a bug making them lose their courage pretty quickly.  
  
Angrily, Logan grabbed Bobby by the front of his shirt and he shook him.  
  
"How could you forget to signal?" he shouted.  
  
"It still turned out right in the end!" Bobby tried weakly. Snorting, Logan dropped him to the ground. He turned to Warren and tilted his head to the carriage the soldiers were leading. "Go see what's in there." He said. Nodding, Warren walked up and he tried the door.  
  
"It's locked from the inside." He said, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
"What's in there?" Logan asked one of the soldiers.  
  
"Wouldn't you like to know." He spat. Angrily Logan leaned forward, but Kurt grabbed his elbow and smirked.  
  
"Let me deal vith zhis, mein freund." He said with a wink. Calmly, he crouched down in front of the soldier and he winked chummily with him. "Now be reasonable, mein herr. All ve vant to know is vhat is in zhere."  
  
"And I told you I'm not telling you!" Kurt slowly smiled.  
  
"I zhink you vill change your mind shortly." He said softly. He leaned forward, making sure his transformation went slowly as his eyes slowly seemed to melt away. "Tell me vhat I vant to know." He growled, letting his fangs grow slowly. As his hands and feet started to change, he let his tail suddenly erupt into being, scaring the shit out of the soldier.  
  
"Ok ok!" he screamed. "Don't kill me!" Kurt changed in a flash back to his human form, still smiling.  
  
"Danke, mein herr." He said. "Now vhat is in zhere?"  
  
"The witches daughter Amanda." Kurt's cheeks grew pale.  
  
"Verdammtr mist." He muttered, standing back up. "Logan, Amanda Sefton is in zhere." He said.  
  
"Why?" Logan asked.  
  
"Her eyes needed to be removed." The soldier explained. He gave a startled cry when Kurt grabbed him by the throat and forced him to his feet, turning into a demon swiftly.  
  
"Vas?" he screamed into his face. "Vhy did you do zhat to her?" he demanded, his eyes narrowing dangerously.  
  
"The Romani's magic comes from their eyes. We had to take hers out to stop her from using hers." The soldier sputtered. Without another thought, Kurt slammed him hard against a tree, snapping his back with a crack. Turning to the wagon, he smashed his feet and tail against it, making it start to crack and break under the heavy blows.  
  
"Kurt," Logan said softly. "Calm down."  
  
"She is in zhere blind!" Kurt raged, turning on Logan with bared fangs. "I'm getting her out of here now!" With that, he used one final kick to knock it down. Looking inside, he turned away, tears coming to his eyes.  
  
Inside, Amanda sat huddled in the corner, her clothes tattered and dirty with filth and blood. Where her eyes should have been, there were nothing but holes covered in dried blood. She flinched when the door smashed open and tried to hide herself further in her rags.  
  
"Amanda." Kurt said softly, stepping inside. Turning back to his human form, he walked up and knelt down in front of her. Gently, he reached out and touched her hand, removing it swiftly when she yelped.  
  
"Don't hurt me." She whimpered.  
  
"Amanda, don't you recognize my voice? It is Kurt, remember? Nightcrawler." He tried softly. Taking her hand, he placed the palm against his cheek, turning into a demon. "Zhe furry Elf?" he tried.  
  
"Kurt?" Amanda ran her fingers through his short fur slightly, tilting her head to one side. When she realized it was him, she threw herself against his chest, sobbing into his shirt. Kurt hugged her gently, rocking gently with her.  
  
"So this is Amanda."  
  
"Don't start vith me, mutter." Kurt warned, looking at her over Amanda's head.  
  
"I wouldn't dream of it." Raven said seriously. "She's very pretty." Kurt was silent, looking down at Amanda's trembling body sadly. He wrapped his tail lightly around her middle, squeezing her lightly.  
  
"Amanda, you vill be all right now." He assured her softly.  
  
"Are they still out there?" Amanda's muffled voice asked. Kurt gave Logan a look, sending a silent message between them. Nodding, Logan left.  
  
"Nein, zhey are all dead." Kurt assured her, stroking her hair gently. "Vhere is your mutter?" he asked.  
  
"She's at the castle still." Amanda answered. Slowly, she lifted her head, her face turned towards Kurt's. "Am I ugly?" Kurt rested a hand on her cheek, brushing some hair from her face.  
  
"Nein, you are still as lovely as zhe day I left." He assured her softly. "Did zhey do any zhing else to you?" he asked.  
  
Amanda could only nod.  
  
Controlling his rage, Kurt hugged her gently, closing his eyes.  
  
"It is all right. Ve are going to get rid of King Graydon und make him pay for zhis." He assured her.  
  
"Where will I stay until then? I can't go back." Amanda said. Kurt thought about it, turning to Bobby.  
  
"You vill take her back to zhe hideout?" he asked.  
  
"Sure." Bobby nodded, gulping slightly.  
"Mein freund Bobby is going to take you to a safe place vhere you vill be taken care of." Kurt explained, slowly helping her stand up. Looking at her pencil thin legs and arms, he bit his bottom lip.  
  
"Promise me you'll come back for me." Amanda insisted, squeezing his hands as tightly as her weak hands could handle. Kurt smiled sadly, kissing her temple gently.  
  
"I promise, schatz." He nodded. "Valk slowly vith her." He told Bobby, gently scooping her up in his arms and trading her off with Bobby.  
  
"I will." Bobby nodded, becoming very serious suddenly as he held her. With that, he turned and slowly and carefully and he walked away with her.  
  
Logan rested a hand on Kurt's shoulder, holding out one of the uniforms.  
  
"Come on, if we're going to avenge your girl Amanda, we need to get moving." He said. Kurt nodded as he turned human and took the uniform, his eyes burning deeply.  
  
"Graydon is going to pay for hurting her like zhat." He said softly. 


	9. Piotr Does Them A Favor

It turned out that Piotr was an excellent asset to the team in more ways then simple muscle. He was a skilled woodsman and carpenter. Using one of the trees Scott had felled, Piotr was able to swiftly fix the carriage and make it look as if nothing had happened to it.  
  
When that was done, Mystique transformed into Amanda and she and Hank went into the carriage, leaving the others to lead the way to the castle. Clearing away the unused wood, they started off towards the castle.  
  
"How do we explain the decrease in soldiers?" Scott asked.  
  
"We'll say we were attacked and they were killed." Warren answered, shifting slightly. "This damn thing is too tight on my wings!" he muttered.  
  
"Get used to it. It is zhe only vay you vill be getting in unless you vant to get in zhe carriage." Kurt said, a bit too harshly. Sighing, he shook his head a bit, "I'm sorry. I am just very upset at zhe moment." He apologized.  
  
"It's all right. I'd probably have killed me if I was in your shoes." Warren said with a shrug. Kurt shrugged, slipping his hands in his pockets and looking down at the ground.  
  
"I suppose so." He admitted. Piotr rested an arm over his shoulders, giving him a faint hug.  
  
"Come on, Kurt. It will be all right in the end. We'll even let you kill Graydon when we catch up to him." He promised. Kurt snorted, laughing faintly.  
  
"Vell, how can I stay upset vith an offer like zhat?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow slightly. Piotr patted his back, smiling and looking a head of them.  
  
"That's the spirit." He said. "How far do you think we are from the castle, Logan?" he asked. Looking up, Logan narrowed his eyes faintly.  
  
"Warren, go fly up and see if you can spot the castle." He said. Nodding, Warren took off the uniform's jacket and spread his wings, soaring into the air swiftly. Arching his wings slightly, Warren rode the thermals, looking a head of them. He could see the castle's tower clearly in the clouds. Nodding to himself, he swooped down and landed in front of them.  
  
"I can see the tower as clear as day." He said. "If we speed up the pace a bit, we should be there by morning's first light."  
  
"Let's hope we weren't supposed to be there today." Kitty said.  
  
"I'd worry about how we'd pass you off as a guy." Logan said.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"There weren't any female soldiers in that whole bunch. Graydon thinks that only men make proper soldiers." Logan explained. "So when we get near the castle, you're gonna have to bunch your hair up under your helmet and keep it there no matter what." Kitty couldn't help but laugh at that.  
  
"If Rogue was here, she would have been furious!" she said. "I can just imagine her punching a giant hole through that tree over there and flying right to the castle, causing all kinds of destruction!" Kurt laughed softly, shaking his head a bit.  
  
" I can just picture her doing exactly zhat." He said. "Zhen you have seen her around?" he asked.  
  
"She goes out with that thief Remy." Kitty explained. Kurt's eyes grew wide as he looked at Kitty in disbelief.  
  
"Tell me you are joking." He said. When Kitty shook her head, he burst into laughter, being forced to lean on Piotr lest he fall to the ground.  
  
"What's so funny?" Warren asked, cocking an eyebrow. Unable to speak, Kurt waved a hand to Logan, inviting him to explain for him.  
  
"Rogue is Kurt's sister through adoption. Her power is that she can't touch anyone else or else she'll take on their abilities if they're Gifted or take their life force if they're not." Logan started.  
  
"But she can fly and is really strong too." Kitty pointed out.  
  
"She got that by grabbing another Gifted woman and holding on tightly. She killed the woman but kept her powers permanently." Logan explained. Kitty winced.  
  
"Oh." She said weakly.  
  
"Anyway, she's been going on by herself for a really long time, saying that she would never find a man good enough for her." Logan said.  
  
"Und now she is going out vith a thief!" Kurt howled, losing his battle and falling to the ground with a thump. "Ach, I have to tell mutter about zhis!" Swiftly he got up and teleported into the carriage without a further thought about it.  
  
"MY DAUGHTER'S DATING A WHAT?!?!" Kurt teleported onto Piotr's shoulders, smiling as his whole body trembled with suppressed laughter. With a loud smash, Raven opened the door and came out, looking like a dog that's gone mad from rabies. Everyone stopped moving and looked at the furious shape shifter quietly. She walked up to Kitty and grabbed her by the front of her shirt tightly.  
  
"When did you see her last?" she asked through gritted teeth.  
  
"Let go of her, mutter." Kurt sighed, leaping off Piotr.  
  
"Answer the damned question." Raven ordered. Calmly, Kitty phased through and walked over to Piotr before becoming solid again.  
  
"It was two weeks so calm down, Raven. It doesn't matter anyway, we need to focus on this instead of where you're adopted daughter is." Kitty said. Clenching her hands into fists, Raven went back into the carriage, slamming the door shut.  
  
"I feel so bad for Hank right now." Kurt laughed softly as they heard Raven's raging screams from inside.  
  
"If she keeps that up, we're going to either get caught by guards, or attract bandits by the score!" Logan sighed, shaking his head.  
  
Raven's ravings didn't end until that night, when Piotr turned metal and dealt her a swift smack upside the head, knocking her out cold for the rest of the night. 


	10. King Graydon Creed

"I think you may have hit her too hard, Piotr." Scott said, looking down at Raven with raised eyebrows. He lifted her hand and let it fall with a splat on her face. "Yup, a bit too hard there, pal." Sheepishly, Piotr rubbed the back of his head.  
  
"Maybe I shouldn't have turned metal when I did it." He sighed. Kurt, out of pure habit, took his mother's wrist and washed it with a piece if cloth, shaking his head with a faint smile.  
  
"Vell, at least it vill be quiet for a vhile until she vakes!" he laughed. "But, she vill beat you for touching her, Scott." He warned. Scott cocked an eyebrow, placing his hands on his hips.  
  
"How will she know unless you tell her? She's out cold." He said. Laughing, Kurt picked his mother up and slung her over his shoulder.  
  
"She's a vitch remember? She has her vays of knowing." He said, bringing her to the carriage and laying her down. "Once, vhen I vas very young, I vas forbidden to ever go to a large vaterfall zhat vas a few miles from zhe tower. Vhile she slept, I vent zhere und made sure zhat vhen I got back, zhat mein clothes vere cry und clean like zhey vere vhen she fell asleep.  
  
Needless to say, vhen she voke up, she gave me such a talk about obeying her, saying zhat she knew exactly vhere I had gone und told me in detail every single zhing I did at zhe falls.  
  
Trust me, she vill vake und try to do you harm for touching her, Scott." Kurt ended with a laugh, tilting his head to one side as he thought back to his childhood with a certain fondness. Scott gulped slightly.  
  
"Isn't there any way to make her understand?" he asked. Smirking, Kurt rubbed his thumb together with his fingers to make the international sign for money.  
  
"Zhis vill get you out of it." He said.  
  
"How much?" Scott asked, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
"In gold of course." Kurt added, giving a tooth-revealing smile.  
  
"How much." Scott repeated with sigh. Kurt tilted his head to one side, narrowing his eyes in comic mimicry of someone thinking about something serious.  
  
"Thirty." He said finally.  
  
"Thirty!"  
  
"She hates being touched." He said with a shrug. "Of course, you could alvays just let it go. . ." he added. Groaning, Scott dug into his bag and took out a bag of coins.  
  
"This had better protect me Kurt!" he warned. Smiling, Kurt made the bag vanish swiftly.  
  
"Do not vorry, mein herr. Mutter vill be most pleased vith zhis payment." He assured him. He looked over at Logan and smirked, walking off to get the horses ready to go.  
  
"We had better hurry up if we want to get to that castle as soon as possible." Warren pointed out. "They've practically written whole books about how impatient King Graydon can be." Kurt snorted.  
  
"I never zhought I vould hear a Gifted person ask to get to zhe castle faster." He said, shaking his head. Smiling, he turned to one of the horses, a chestnut stallion with cream mane and tail, and stroked its neck gently whispering to it in German softly. In a few minutes, the horse was moving with its partner at a trot.  
  
"How did you learn to do that?" Kitty asked. Smiling, Kurt pointed to Logan who was busy releasing and sheathing his claws in anticipation of battle.  
  
"If you have any questions about any of zhe plant und animal life, go talk to mein freund Logan over zhere. He knows all about survival." He explained with a smile. Smiling faintly, Kitty walked over to where Logan was and walked beside him.  
  
"Is that true?" she asked.  
  
"What is?" Logan asked, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
"That you're the best at survival skills and the like?" Kitty asked. Logan snorted, looking over at Kurt who merely shrugged and turned back to the horses.  
  
"I'm the best at what I do and what I do is survive." Logan said simply, taking out a cigar. With a snikt and flick, he nipped off the tip and lit it, taking in a deep drag and letting the blue smoke out slowly.  
  
"It's not such a big deal to be able to survive in this world." He explained. "You do what ya gotta do to live and that's that." Shrugging, he looked up at a tree where a blue jay sat on her nest, closing the conversation before it got too long.  
  
It did not take them long before they could see the large iron gates to the castle. Behind the large gates, a large courtyard with trees stretched out for five miles before it reached the steps of the castle itself. Hanging from the branches of the trees in pairs and threes were the bones, decaying flesh, or recent bodies of Gifted who were executed by the king in his fury.  
  
The castle itself was a large white thing, sparkling with gold gilded windowsills and crystal windows that shone and sparkled in the light of the sun. There was a large bell tower with the ceiling made out of sparkling gold leaves. The two large bells were made from sparkling silver and gold, their music sounding beautiful when rung. Unfortunately, the bells were rung when an execution was about to be performed.  
  
Guards were standing on patrol at the gates, their blunderbusses held over their right shoulders, making them look like tin soldiers.  
  
Logan looked sideways at Piotr who nodded slightly, making himself look as relaxed as possible, despite the fact that he was ready to turn to steel at a second's notice. When they reached the gates, Scott took control as the leader of their troop, swaggering over to the guards and waving a dismissive hand at them.  
  
"What in the blazes are you two fools waiting for? Open the damned gates and let us in!" he ordered, narrowing his eyes and making his voice as gruff as possible. He gave a face of mock indignation as a blunderbuss was aimed at his face.  
  
"The king ordered you to be back by yesterday morn." One guard said, his voice harsh and angry. "He's very furious with you at the moment." Scott snorted, brushing the blunderbuss away from his face and placing his hands on his hips.  
  
"What else is new with his Highness? Let us through or so help me, I'll run you through with my sword and open the gates by myself!" he snapped, his eyes narrowed dangerously.  
  
"He wants to know your excuse for disobeying his orders and coming to his castle late!" the other guard said, making sure they saw that his finger was all ready putting pressure on the trigger. "He says it had better be important or else we're to shoot you all dead!" Scott shook his head with a sigh, acting as if both these men were complete idiots.  
  
"If you must know, that witch Amanda got away from us after we took out her eyes." He said. "But don't worry. She ran off when her eyes were still bleeding badly. She'll be dead when we go and look for her again. The reason we came back is because we got two gifts for the price of a blind former witch; Hank McCoy and Raven Darkholme, the very Gifted people the king wanted to find and couldn't until now!" he said with a smirk.  
  
It was as if the guards had been splashed in the face with ice-cold water. They quickly lowered their weapons and called for the gates to be opened at once, looking at the carriage with slight wonder as it passed by them.  
  
"Nice job, Scott." Logan muttered, nodding his head slightly in approval.  
  
"Did you have any doubt in my abilities, Logan? I could charm a bird from her nest if I wanted to." Scott laughed faintly from the corner of his mouth. He cocked an eyebrow as a trumpet sounded and he looked at Logan with raised eyebrows. Logan shrugged and looked at the main doors, as they swung open.  
  
Kurt narrowed his eyes slightly as King Graydon came out of the castle, looking slightly excited but trying to hide it as best as he could, which was not very good at all. For some reason he could not explain, Kurt felt unadulterated hatred towards Graydon. He thought it was mostly due to the fact of his personality and mass executions, but it was something else entirely. He just couldn't put his finger on it.  
  
Graydon looked like a lion. His tawny colored hair that was cut short sparkled like topaz, matching the sparkle in his crystal blue eyes. These good looks were the kind that could hide a man's true personality completely, and they did when it came to Graydon and his black heart.  
  
"Is it true?" he asked, looking at Scott with a slightly tilted eyebrow. "Is it true that you have Raven and Hank in there?" Bowing slightly, Scott nodded and pointed with his thumb over his shoulder at the carriage.  
  
"They're locked up tight in there. Raven's knocked out in fact from this one knocking her over the head with his club." He answered with a smile.  
  
Graydon smiled.  
  
Everyone but Logan and Kurt suppressed a slight shudder at the sight of the smile.  
  
"Open the carriage and get them out here." Graydon ordered two guards. As the guards walked to the carriage, Scott looked at Logan and swiftly tried to intervene.  
  
"Your Highness, we are perfectly capable of handling the two beasts ourselves. . ." he started.  
  
"Oh no, my good captain. You've done enough by bringing them to me at last. Let these lazy boys do the real work." Graydon said, his smile becoming brighter and to them, more evil.  
  
Kurt bit the insides of his cheeks until he could taste blood in his mouth as one guard roughly grabbed his mother, who was slowly waking up, and dragged her out of the carriage. Raven stumbled and fought weakly, starting to mumble.  
  
At first, no one knew what she was saying, but then the color drained from Kurt and the other's faces as her words became clear.  
  
"Kurt! Tell this stupid boy to let go of me!" she groaned. At first, they tried to pretend she was mad, but then she looked right at Kurt and pointed weakly at him. "Tell them to let go of your mother!" he cried.  
  
Graydon looked at Kurt and the rage that was hidden in his beauty erupted like a volcano that had been holding it in for a century or two before finally letting it out. 


	11. Mama Dearest

"Grab them!" Graydon shouted, his eyes narrowed and his teeth bared. As Logan unsheathed his claws and got ready for a battle, the guards holding blunderbusses suddenly found that their guns were iced over and useless.  
  
"Let go o' mah mama!"  
  
Before anyone could register what was happening, a streak of green and yellow flew by and rammed into three of the guards, sending them smashing through the gates.  
  
"Rogue?" Kurt asked, cocking an eyebrow. Rogue floated just above the ground, her green-gloved hands clenched in angry fists. Her chestnut hair was blown back, except for her white stripe, which fell over her green eyes. She looked over at Kurt and smiled faintly, before turning to the guard who was still holding Raven.  
  
"Do Ah need ta repeat mahself, sugah?" she asked, slowly taking off one of her gloves. Before the guard could let go of Raven, Rogue had him by the throat with her bare hand. Everyone watched as the guard's body started to crumple into itself, his scream getting weaker as his face aged swiftly. When Rogue let go, he crumpled into a pile of dust.  
  
"What are you waiting for you idiots?!" Graydon shouted, running back into his castle. "Get them!"  
  
"We need to get our backs to the forest!" Logan shouted, impaling a charging soldier. Looking to the gates, he swore aloud as more soldiers blocked their path, aiming blunderbusses at them.  
  
A loud whistling noise rang out as pink explosions erupted, shattering half of the blunderbusses. The thundering sound of hooves came from the east, followed by laughter.  
  
"Look dis way, hommes!" Cards glowing a bright pink flew at the men and erupted in their faces, sending them flying. Remy Lebeau laughed, still charging forward on his horse, ramming into the ones who were still standing before he leapt off and hurled more charged cards at the enemy.  
  
Shards of ice rained down on the soldier's barracks, making the roof collapse and trapping those who were still inside tightly. Bobby wasn't too far behind, falling more then leaping off of his own horse.  
  
"I zhought I told you to stay vith Amanda!" Kurt shouted, laughing nonetheless at seeing him here when they needed it most.  
  
"She's being taken care of by Meggan and her husband Brian." Bobby assured him, freezing the legs of some fleeing soldiers. "What's the plan?"  
  
"Get in the forest!" Logan shouted, backing up. "We need a better plan since Raven screwed this one up!" Nodding, Bobby froze the front doors shut, before helping Kitty mount his horse and riding after the others into the trees.  
  
They continued to run off until Logan finally had them go down into a ditch and stop. Growling, he vented his anger on a few shrubs as the others rested their legs. Finally, he took a deep breath and he let it out slowly, sheathing his claws at the same moment. He opened his mouth to say something when Raven stopped him.  
  
"So this is the man you've decided to be with?" she demanded, narrowing her eyes dangerously. Remy looked at Rogue with raised eyebrows and wisely stepped behind her for a shield.  
  
"Ah was gonna tell ya, mama." Rogue tried, smiling weakly. Snarling, Raven brushed the comment away with a wave of her hand, shaking her head.  
  
"How may times have I told you that you have more important things to worry about then men?" she demanded. "How many times?! And you never even came to visit me in these four years you've been gone! This thief has made you forget your own mother!"  
  
"That's not true, et's jus' that we've been really busy, mama. Ah jus' didn' have the time yet." Rogue insisted. Raven scoffed, crossing her arms across her chest.  
  
"Busy stealing petty things I'll bet." She said. Remy frowned and stepped forward slightly.  
  
"I've been takin' care o' 'er, Raven." He said, his red on black eyes as equally narrowed as Raven's. "An' Remy Lebeau don' steal petty t'ings either! We been goin' fo' de big stuff!" he added.  
  
"Well good for you." Raven snapped, poking her finger into his chest. "It's nice to know my daughter is with an honorable thief!" she spat at him.  
  
"Mama. . ." Rogue tried.  
  
"Not another word! I'm ashamed of you and I'm not afraid to say it either!" Raven snapped, turning her back to her and stomping away to go brood by herself. Rogue sighed, looking at Kurt with raised eyebrows. Kurt sighed, walking after his mother.  
  
"I'll talk to her for you." He said as he left. Silence filled the entire group for a few moments. Coughing faintly, Warren turned to Bobby with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"How did you know to come find us?" he asked. Bobby shrugged, smiling faintly.  
  
"When I brought Amanda to Brian and Meggan's house, some woman named Destiny was there having tea with them. When she touched my hand, she said she saw you guys in trouble and that I would find Remy and Rogue to go and help them. Then she mumbled some other stuff but you know, I have a short attention span so it all went down the drain from there." He said with a faint smile.  
  
"Watch, we're going to get our asses kicked later and it'll be because you can't pay attention longer than two minutes." Scott snorted, shaking his head. Bobby shrugged.  
  
"At least I saved your asses this time." He pointed out. Piotr laughed.  
  
"Da, and I suppose that excuses you for screwing up before with our ambush plan?" he asked. Bobby's cheeks burned bright red and everyone laughed. Shaking his head, Hank cleaned his spectacles and he sat down under a tree.  
  
"Well, since that plan has failed, I think we should all stay here and try to think of another way inside that castle. I'm sure we'll be able to think of something by the time Kurt and Raven get back from their talk." He said, wincing as he said the last bit. Rogue looked down at the ground, her hair falling in front of her eyes.  
  
"She was really mad at me. . ." she said softly. Smiling, Remy placed an arm around her shoulders, rubbing her leather-covered arm lightly.  
  
"Don' y' worry, chere." He assured her. "Kurt'll talk some sense inta y' mother." Sighing, Rogue rested her head on his shoulder.  
  
"Ah hope so, sugah." 


	12. Mother Son Talk

Kurt found his mother sitting on an old tree stump, looking at the castle quietly. She didn't bother to look at him as he sat down beside her, turning into his demon form to try and cheer her up a bit. He looked at her, his tail curling upwards slightly and twisting a bit.  
  
"Mutter. . ." he started softly.  
  
"She deliberately disobeyed me, Kurt." Raven said, still looking at the castle. "Don't think that by turning into your demon form and talking to me is going to make me take her back." She added. Sighing, Kurt shook his head.  
  
"Mutter, she didn't disobey you. She merely found someone she loved. Zhat is such a big crime?" he asked, titling his head to one side.  
  
"When it's with a thief who makes her not even stop by to visit her own mother like that!"  
  
"Like you vould have let her if she came back und told you who she vas vith." Kurt interrupted. "You know very vell zhat you vould have thrown her out zhe moment she came back vith Remy."  
  
"That's not true." Raven snapped, gritting her teeth.  
  
"It is und you know it to be so." Kurt countered calmly. "You und I both know zhat is vhat vould have happened."  
  
"I adopted her, took her out of the streets where she was covered in filth and treated just like it!" Raven said.  
  
"Ja, und vhat did you do to her aftervards? You taught her to hate all men except me, und you forced her to grab zhat Gifted voman und hold on until she died und rogue had her powers permanently." Kurt said, his eyes narrowed slightly as his tail flicked to one side slightly.  
  
"That was to make her stronger." Raven said, turning to look at him finally. "It was to make sure that she would be able to fight on her own one day!" Kurt nodded slightly, looking at her calmly.  
  
"Ja, und zhat is exactly vhat she is doing; taking care of herself. Who cares if zhe man she loves is a thief?" he asked.  
  
"I do!" Raven snapped. "She can do much better than that scum."  
  
"Mutter, do you really zhink zhis 'mistake' is unforgivable?" Kurt asked, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
"Yes." Raven nodded.  
  
"Zhen ve cannot forgive you for all zhe zhings you have done to us." Kurt said, turning human. "Zhe zhings you have done to us are far vorse zhan falling in love vith a thief."  
  
"What have I done that was worse?" Raven demanded, growing tense now.  
  
"Remember vhen you left us alone for four years?" Kurt asked softly. Raven's face fell and she looked away, bowing her head.  
  
"That was business." She said weakly.  
  
"Ja, business zhat had you leave me at ten und Rogue at six to fend for ourselves." Kurt pointed out.  
  
"You were both fine when I came back." Raven pointed out weakly. Kurt shook his head, brushing a strand of hair away fro his eyes.  
  
"Mutter, for four years ve vere forced to steal for our food because ve did not know how to cook. For four years ve lived in fear zhat you vere hurt badly und vould never return. Vhen you came back, ve vere relieved but also furious at you for leaving us for so long. Ve forgave you for zhat, mutter." Slowly, he stood up and looked down at his mother, his eyes sad.  
  
"Ve forgave you for leaving us alone so zhat you could kill zhe king. Vhy can you not forgive Rogue for falling in love vith Remy?" he asked. Raven opened her mouth, but closed it slowly; unable to think of what she should say. Nodding faintly, Kurt walked back to where the others were, leaving his mother to struggle with her inner demons by herself.  
  
When Kurt came back, Rogue stood up and looked at him quietly. He shrugged slightly and she sighed, sitting back down. Kurt sat down beside her, resting an arm around her shoulders and giving her a faint hug.  
  
"It vill be all right, schwester." He said softly, looking at her sadly. "Mutter vill change her mind eventually." Rogue shook her head, tears falling.  
  
"Maybe we shouldn' 'ave come." She said weakly. Remy looked at her with raised eyebrows, resting a hand on her arm.  
  
"Non, chere. We'll get yer mother tae change 'er mind. Don' y' worry, chere." He said softly. Kurt looked at him with a faint approving smile before he turned to Logan.  
  
"Have ve come up vith a better plan?" he asked, raising his eyebrows slightly in a question. Logan shrugged, looking down at a rough sketch of the castle in the dirt.  
  
"Well we can't try to sneak in as guards again." He said. "Since we screwed up, he'll have his guards on alert and double duty all around the place."  
  
"We could charge in and fight them." Bobby suggested. "We were able to fight our way out didn't we?" he asked. Logan rolled his eyes.  
  
"That was because the entire army wasn't on our tail. If we tried to break in full force, we'd have the entire royal army on our asses." He explained. Bobby raised his eyebrow slightly.  
  
"Well, damn! How are we going to get in?"  
  
"There's a secret passage into the castle." Looking up, they saw Raven walking up quietly, looking very serious. "It's an old one and only members of the royal family know about it. It leads to the throne room and if we can get in there, we'd be able to surprise Graydon." She explained.  
  
"But if only royal family members know about it, how come you do?" Warren asked, cocking an eyebrow. Raven looked over at Kurt and rogue and then turned back to Warren.  
  
"I have my ways." She said simply, sitting down beside Scott. "Is it a plan or what?" Hank thought about it, handing Raven a stick.  
  
"If you would be so kind as to sketch the route out, I think we'd be able to form a plan around it." He said. Nodding, Raven started to sketch out the route, avoiding eye contact with Kurt and Rogue both. 


	13. Hell Freezes Over

Lifting his spectacles up, Hank looked over the plans and he nodded slightly, smiling a bit.  
  
"I think we'll be able to form a plan that will work much better than our previous one." He said, smiling at Raven. "All we would really have to worry about is actually reaching the opening to the secret passage." He added with a sigh.  
  
"I zhink I have an idea for zhat part." Kurt said with a smile. As an explanation, he teleported beside Hank and smiled. "I can teleport vith three people maximum. If Rogue is careful vhen she touches me, she vill be able to do zhe same." He added with a smile.  
  
"Ar' ya sure ya wan' me ta try?" Rogue asked.  
  
"Of course. Zhe vorst zhat can happen is zhat I fall unconscious und you turn blue forever." He laughed. He turned to Hank and raised his eyebrows slightly. "Vhat do you zhink about zhat, Herr McCoy?" he asked.  
  
"I think that that's a brilliant plan." Hank nodded, smiling a bit. "But you'll need to actually see this place first, which means we'll have to get in close without the use of you teleportation." He said. Kurt scoffed, waving a hand slightly in dismissal.  
  
"Don't vorry about zhat, mein freund. Rogue und I vill go now und look at zhe place in question. Zhen ve vill come back for you." He explained with a smile. Taking his sister by the hand, he teleported away.  
  
When Kurt and Rogue reappeared, they were behind a large oak tree in front of the castle. Looking around it, Kurt frowned slightly, narrowing his eyes.  
  
"Logan vas right. Zhe guards have doubled zheir shift." He explained, turning to his demon form and going down on all fours. "Come on." He whispered, creeping to the left of the castle walls, looking for the secret passage Raven spoke of.  
  
"Wot did ya an' mama talk abowt?" Rogue whispered as she followed Kurt slowly. Kurt flicked his tail lazily at a fly, shrugging.  
  
"Ve talked about zhe past mostly." He said. "Und vhy she should get over zhe fact zhat you are in love vith a thief." Looking at Rogue, he lightly wrapped his tail around her shoulders and gave her a friendly squeeze.  
  
"Don't vorry, Rogue. I'm sure mutter vill come around vhen zhis whole zhing is over. I mean, she couldn't have expected you to simply live a lonely life now could she?" he asked with a smile. Rogue shrugged, looking at the castle quietly.  
  
"Ah guess not." She said finally, starting to move on. Smiling, Kurt crawled beside her looking at the castle with eyes narrowed.  
  
"Zhis secret passage; do you zhink ve vill be bale to even see it from here?" he asked.  
  
"Ah was hopin' ya would be able ta see it." Rogue admitted. Sighing, Kurt flicked his tail to one side and he tilted his head to one side.  
  
"I zhink I see it, right between zhose two pillars, see?" he asked, pointing with his tail. Rogue looked at it and narrowed her eyes slightly.  
  
"Why don' ya go an' see?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow. Nodding slightly, Kurt braced himself and teleported to the wall, clinging to it tightly with his fingers and feet.  
  
He watched as two guards walked by and he swiftly did a somersault to the ground, landing in a crouch. Looking at the wall, he felt along the bricks until he felt one of them was loose. Nodding to himself, he teleported back to Rogue.  
  
"Well?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow. Smiling, Kurt nodded.  
  
"Exactly vhat ve need!" he said. Wrapping his tail around her waist, he teleported back to the others, grinning as he startled Kitty out of her seat.  
  
"Vhat is zhe matter? You vould zhink you had never seen a demon teleport before!" he laughed, shaking his head.  
  
"Were you able to find it?" Raven asked, sighing softly.  
  
"Of course ve vere! It vas easy really, once ve got zhere. All ve have to do is vait for you people to get ready!" he said with a smile.  
  
"Oh we're ready to go all right. We're just waiting to see if you can handle Rogue taking your powers for a little bit." Logan said with a smirk. Shrugging, Kurt held out his hand for her.  
  
"Here you go." He said with a smile. Taking off her glove, Rogue took his hand and held on. Kurt's body trembled faintly as Rogue's skin turned blue. When she finally let go, her eyes were bright yellow and her ears were pointed.  
  
Kurt fell over backwards with a soft groan.  
  
"Are you all right, Elf?" Logan asked, cocking an eyebrow. Sitting up slowly, Kurt shook his head to clear it and he laughed softly.  
  
"I vill never get over zhat." He sighed, standing up a bit wobbly. Turning to Rogue, he placed his hands on his hips and he smiled. "Ready?"  
  
"Yup." Rogue nodded, smiling and revealing her fangs. Taking two people each, they teleported behind the trees across from the secret passage.  
  
Everything was going to plan for once. 


	14. Anger And Tears

"Wait for it." Logan whispered, narrowing his eyes as the two guards walked past the entrance to the secret passage. He sighed, gritting his teeth as he formed a plan in his head. Nodding to himself, he turned to Kurt.  
  
"Kurt, you think you can pick 'em off without alerting any of their buddies?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow slightly. Kurt nodded and after Logan whispered the plan in his ear, he teleported and clung to the wall, his tail swinging slightly back and forth in anticipation.  
  
Getting himself ready to pounce, Kurt smiled slowly as one of the guards started to walk by him. Grabbing him by the throat with his tail, he only needed to do a swift twist to snap it, lifting the body into the air and teleporting away with it. Leaving it with Logan, he teleported back to his position on the wall and waited for the other guard to show, doing the same exact thing to him with a slight flair to it. When he was finished, he teleported back and smiled, bowing to them with a fang-revealing smile.  
  
"Und zhere you are, Logan. A clear vay to zhe passage from yours truly!" he said. Without much further ado about it, he and Rogue teleported everyone there, making sure someone kept watch as Raven slowly took out the loose brick and pushed a switch that was hidden behind it.  
  
"Get back." She warned. As they did so, the bricks slowly started to slide to either side, surprisingly doing it quietly and easily. A tunnel was revealed to them, torches on the walls unlit and unused for years.  
  
"I got dis." Remy said, charging a card lightly. Throwing it, it flew over each torch and lit it before blowing up with a soft pink bam. Raven sniffed, walking down the tunnel.  
  
"Well, at least he's useful for something." She said, looking over her shoulder at Rogue.  
  
"Mutter. . ." Kurt sighed, rolling his eyes. Rogue placed a hand on his arm, shaking her head slightly. As the last person walked through the passage, it closed up easily.  
  
"So what's the plan when we get to the throne room?" Bobby asked.  
  
"If Graydon's in there, then we kill him and go on from there." Raven answered with a shrug.  
  
"Of course, because we all know how easy killing Graydon will be." Scott snorted. He nearly fell over when Raven stopped suddenly and looked at him with narrowed eyes.  
  
"Do you have a better idea?" she asked, curling her lip dangerously at him.  
  
"I was just saying. . ." In a spilt second, Raven was behind him and had his arm twisted behind his back, just inches from breaking it.  
  
"When you open your mouth, try not to sound idiotic. Of course, you might have trouble with that!" Raven hissed softly.  
  
"Mutter, don't break his arm." Kurt said seriously, knowing this situation could get worse in a hurry. "Zhink about zhe plan, mutter. Ve don't have time to deal vith broken limbs und you know zhat! Besides, you're touching a man!" Raven snorted.  
  
"Man is too strong a word for this one!" she said.  
  
"Mama, let 'im go or Ah'll make ya let 'im go." Rogue warned softly, taking off her gloves slowly. Raven looked up, her eyes dangerous slits.  
  
"Oh are you now? Is that something you picked up from your boyfriend? Beating your own mother?" she demanded, letting go of Scott and walking slowly up to Rogue.  
  
"Mama. . ."  
  
"Don't mama me, Rogue. I took you in from the filthy streets and now you are threatening me? What kind of ungrateful beast are you?" she demanded, leaning into her face closely. Kurt's tail wrapped around her waist and pulled her back. Kurt stood in-between rogue and Raven, looking from one to the other sadly.  
  
"Mutter, let it go." He said calmly. "Leave Rogue alone."  
  
"Of course you defend your foster sister and not your own mother!" Raven hissed, baring her teeth. "You always were an ungrateful son to me, Kurt. You're both worthless ungrateful brats!" she nearly shouted.  
  
"Naow y' 'old on dere one second!" Remy said, stepping beside rogue. "Rogue been nothin' but faithful ta y' fo' years naow! Y' can' jus' star' 'atin' 'er jus' cuz she fell in love wi' me! Y' should look at y'self when y' accuse people o' bein' selfish an' ungrateful!"  
  
"What are you talking about?" Raven demanded.  
  
"Rogue told me 'bout de time y' left 'er an' Kurt alone fo' four years!" Remy spat. "When y' came back, y' acted loik nothin' was differen'! Dey could 'ave easily lef' y' sorry ass in dose four years, or lef' y' when y' got back, but dey didn' naow did dey! Non, dey stayed wi' y' afterwards!  
  
Y' don' 'ave de righ' tae 'urt Rogue de way y' ar', Raven. If y' don' loik de fac' dat she is wi' me, den y' can leave us righ' naow an' go back tae killin' people fo' money!"  
  
It was as if someone had slapped Raven in the face with a stone fist. She reared back and looked at Remy with wide eyes, too stunned to say anything even though her mouth was open. Everyone looked at her in silence, no one daring to say anything and break the silence. Raven bowed her head, clenching her hands into tight trembling fists. When she looked back up at Remy, her yellow eyes were filled with tears.  
  
"I think we need to get moving if we want to surprise Graydon." She said weakly, walking past him quietly. Everyone watched Raven walking a head of them, her head bowed and her shoulders trembling slightly in suppressed sorrow. 


	15. Hugs All Around

"What should we do about her?" Hank whispered softly to Kurt. "We cannot have her this upset when there is a battle. She may get herself or one of us injured or even killed when we face off." Kurt nodded faintly, crossing his arms across his chest as he looked at his mother with his head tilted to one side a bit.  
  
"I know, Hank." He nodded, sighing softly. Turning to Rogue, he moved his head a bit, gesturing towards Raven with raised eyebrows. "I zhink ve need to have a little talk between our family." He said softly.  
  
"I'm sorry." Remy said. "I t'ink et's my faul' she's so upset." He admitted. Kurt shook his head, smiling weakly at him.  
  
"Nein, Remy. You are not to blame for zhis. I zhink zhis has been brewing for years, ever since she left us for so long. In fact, I zhink ve should zhank you for bringing it out into zhe open." He explained. Turning to Rogue, he looked over at Raven and back at her.  
  
"Are you ready for zhis?" he asked. Rogue nodded faintly, and they quietly walked up on either side of their mother, placing their arms around her shoulders.  
  
"What do we do now?" Bobby asked, cocking an eyebrow. Logan shrugged, walking forward.  
  
"We hope Kurt and Rogue can cheer Raven up before we reach the exit to this thing." He answered simply.  
  
Raven wanted to shrug Kurt and Rogue off of her, but she found that she couldn't. Sighing softly, she looked up at them both and then looked down again.  
  
"Do you really hate me for leaving you two alone for four years?" she asked softly. Kurt shook his head, laughing softly.  
  
"If ve did, vould ve be here trying to cheer you up?" he countered, arching an eyebrow slightly. He tilted his head to one side and turned to his demon form, placing his spade's tip under his mother's chin to tilt it up.  
  
"Come on, mutter. It is all right." He assured her. He looked to Rogue and raised his eyebrows slightly.  
  
"Mama, Ah really love Remy." Rogue said softly. "Ah don' wan' ta give 'im up, but Ah also don' wan' ta give ya up either." She rested her head on Raven's temple, knowing it wouldn't drain her powers as swiftly as her hands would. "Ah wan' both o' ya in mah loife." She explained.  
  
Closing her eyes, Raven leaned against Rogue, sighing softly. Slowly, she looked up at her and she smiled weakly, kissing her forehead quickly. She looked from Kurt to Rogue and then smiled weakly.  
  
"You really don't hate me for what I did to you two?" she asked.  
  
"Nein, but ve are a little angry. You cannot blame us for zhat you know. You left us for four years vithout letting us know vhen you vould return to us." Kurt said.  
  
"An' when ya do return, ya act loik et was nothin' an' don' even ask wot we did whoile ya were gone fer those years!" Rogue added. "When ya did tha' we thought ya didn' even care abowt us anymore."  
  
"It hurts zhinking your mutter does not care about you anymore. You never even zhought to bring it up vhen ve grew up. Und now, just because Rogue has fallen in love, you shout und act indignant, claiming ve are ungrateful children!" Kurt said.  
  
"I guess I was rash to say such things about you two." Raven admitted softly, shrugging her shoulders.  
  
"Ja, you vere." Kurt nodded. "You never even raised an eyebrow vhen you met Amanda."  
  
"But as soon as ya find out abowt Remy, ya go off the deep end." Rogue finished. "Why do ya trus' Kurt more than ya trus' me?" she asked, cocking her head to one side.  
  
"It's not that." Raven admitted.  
  
"Well wot is it?" Rogue asked. Raven looked at her quietly and smiled weakly.  
  
"I want to protect you from the streets where I got you from. I don't want to see you being hurt or being thrown back in the muck and filth that I worked so hard to get you out of." She answered seriously.  
  
With Kurt, I know he'll be all right because he never was in the muck and filth. He knows what to do. With you, I worry because you know what it's like in the filth, but once the filth and muck gets you, it tries its best to try and suck you back in. I know; I've been there before." Raven rested a hand on Rogue's, looking at her quietly.  
  
"I only want the best for my daughter." She finished. Rogue laughed softly, hugging Raven around the neck.  
  
"Ya don' need ta worry abowt me, mama. Ah'm as smar' as ya ar'." She said with a soft laugh. "Ya trained me ta know who Ah can trus' an' who Ah can'. Ah trus' Remy, mama. Ya should learn ta trus' 'im ta."  
  
Raven looked at Rogue quietly, smiling very faintly at first before she laughed and nodded a bit.  
  
"All right, then." She said finally. "All right, I'll try to trust him like you do, but if he ever betrays that trust. . ."  
  
"Ah'll all ready 'ave 'im snapped in 'alf." Rogue finished with a laugh. Kurt laughed, shaking his head.  
  
"I am sure Herr Lebeau is glad ve are all planning on killing him if he betrays us!" he said, looking over at him with a wink. Laughing, Raven turned around and walked up to Remy, placing his head between her hands.  
  
"Remember this, Remy. If you ever betray my daughter, I will hunt you down and make you suffer a death that will last an entire week!" she said with a serious face. Seeing the look on Remy's face, she burst into laughter and hugged him around the neck. "Welcome to the family!"  
  
Logan sighed, walking past everyone and leaning against one of the walls. Taking out an unfinished cigar, he lit it and took a long drag before letting the blue smoke out slowly.  
  
"Hey!" he said, looking over at them. "I hate to break up this happy hug filled moment but, we've reached the end of the tunnel." With his thumb, he pointed at the closed exit. 


	16. Fire

Raising her eyebrows slightly, Raven walked up to the exit and ran a finger down the edges, thinking back to when she had first used it. Tilting her head to one side, she narrowed her eyes and made her fingers thinner, more like a dagger and slid them between the edges, pushing on it lightly. She then tried the other side and then stepped back, crossing her arms across her chest a bit.  
  
"Now if I remember right. . . I should be able to. . ." Making her fingers normal once more, she made her eyes into that of a cat's, scanning the surface of the wall. Smiling, she found what she was looking for and she turned her eyes back to their normal glowing yellow. Taking out a ring from her pocket, she turned to the others with an arched eyebrow.  
  
"When I use this key, this wall is going to open and we're going to be in the throne room." She explained calmly. "Now Logan, I think you should try to listen to the other side of that wall to see if anyone is in there before I use it. Make sure we don't jump into the fire right?"  
  
Nodding, Logan pressed his ear against the wall and he concentrated, listening to the other side of the wall easily. He stayed like that for a few minutes, not moving at all, as if he was a statue or was stuck to the wall. When he finally backed away, he nodded and waited for her to use the key.  
  
Smiling, Raven pressed the ring against a small groove in the wall near the floor, turning it to the left in a half circle and then back again, making a full circle to the right. When she removed the ring, the wall started to slide to the side, giving them full view of the throne room.  
  
It was filled with light, the ceilings filled with windows on every angle to try and capture as much as the sun's rays as possible in one day. The walls were adorned with tapestries depicting the Creed family and all of their "heroic acts". Most of the acts depicted showed the reigning monarch of that time slaughtering some group of people in gory detail. Victor Creed, the father of Graydon, was shown tearing into a rebel force with his bare claws and fangs, his eyes an intense shade for mere thread colors.  
  
The rest of the room was surrounded by tall candleholders, the white candles burning a golden color, despite the fact that it was still day out and that the room was filled with sunlight. Large blood red curtains hung down, gold etchings around their borders. The doors to the throne were large and covered in gold and silver etchings, depicting pictures of rampant lions and submissive unicorns.  
  
"Nice place he's got here." Bobby snorted, looking at a tapestry of a woman being rammed onto a spike. "It's got a nice warm cozy feeling to it that I can't quite place."  
  
"Please Bobby, now is not the time for your jokes." Hank sighed, looking around. "We need to find an easy way to the dungeons." He said, turning to Raven.  
  
"I don't think we need to worry about that right now." Warren said, looking at the doors tensely.  
  
"Why?" Hank asked.  
  
"Doesn't it seem odd that the king isn't in his throne room?" Warren asked, arching a wing slightly. "I mean, we just tried to sneak into his castle from the front. Wouldn't he be in here and plan on a strategy of some kind with his captains?"  
  
"It does seem a bit easy." Logan admitted, crossing his arms across his chest. "Then again, his father was Victor. He wasn't exactly known for his brains now was he?" he asked.  
  
"You can say that again." Raven sighed, thinking back to herself. "If you want, we can check the doors and see if anyone is waiting for us to come out." She suggested to Warren.  
  
"That sounds like a good idea." Warren nodded.  
  
"Now's your chance to do something useful, Kitty. Phase through those doors and see if anyone is near us." Raven said, checking her nails calmly and making them blood red and slightly longer and thinner. Rolling her eyes, Kitty phased and poked her head out the doors, looking right and then left.  
  
She saw only one guard to their left on the far side of the hall. He was leaning heavily on his spear, meaning that the idiot was fast asleep when he was supposed to be on watch.  
  
"What an idiot." Kitty said, pulling her head back out and turning solid once more. "There's only one guard on the far side of the hall and guess what? He's fast asleep!" she reported.  
  
"All right then, what are we waiting for?" Bobby asked, cracking his knuckles to try and looking masculine. Piotr sighed and rolled his eyes skyward, as if looking for some help there.  
  
"We're waiting for me to find the staircase to the dungeons of course." Raven answered, walking to the doors and opening them a fraction. Looking outside, she found the sleeping guard and she smiled, shaking her head slowly and turning to Kurt with a sigh.  
  
"Kurt, I need you to be a dear and kill that guard and bring his body hear for me." She said, batting her eyes with a smile. Laughing silently, Kurt nodded and teleported behind the guard, killing him in his sleep and teleporting back into the throne with the body, dumping it at Raven's feet.  
  
Looking down at the body, Raven slowly turned into the guard, taking his spear from his hand. Smiling, she walked out of the room and looked down both halls, finding that no one was coming towards them.  
  
"All right, I'll take point. When I whistle, that means it's all right to move on a head. Make sure you're as quiet as possible." She directed. With that, she started down to the left, her hips swinging slightly from side to side and making Bobby nearly explode with suppressed laughter.  
  
They worked their way down to the dungeons with Raven on point for the entire time, only having to kill a small handful of guards on their entire journey there. Bobby shrugged it off and said it was simple luck. Others, like Warren and Logan felt that there was something fishy going on and said that they should all be on their toes in case there's a trap waiting for them somewhere.  
  
When they reached the staircase, Logan jerked back and sniffed the air, narrowing his eyes a bit. Growling softly, he turned to the left and headed for a large iron door. Kurt grabbed his arm and stopped him.  
  
"Vhat is it, Logan?" he asked.  
  
"I can smell a large group of people behind that door. They're sweating too. They're waiting for us to go down these stairs and then they'll pounce from behind." Logan explained. "Hank and Scott, help me out with this will ya?" he asked, looking over his shoulder. "The rest of you go down the stairs and get the others out of there quick."  
  
After splitting up, Raven and the others went down the stone steps, entering the dungeons. They were dark and damp, a moist smell rising to their nostrils swiftly. Looking around, Raven found an entire section that was blocked off with a stone door.  
  
"That's where they'll be keeping them. Erik can control metal." She explained, heading for it. When she opened it, they had only stepped inside where the torches suddenly flared alive and blazed in their faces for a moment before they dulled down again. When their sight came back, they found themselves surrounded by armed soldiers, led by a Gifted person holding a match that had taken the form of a dove.  
  
"I've been waiting for you." He said calmly, smiling at Raven. "It took you long enough to get here. We were almost worried that our trap hadn't gotten to Logan and that he had been able to smell us down here after all!"  
  
With a click, collars were snapped around their throats.  
  
"I'm so glad it went so well!" 


	17. The Old Cerebro Plot

Gritting his teeth, Kurt slammed his fist against their cell door, hearing it thud faintly. Wincing, he pulled his hand back and shook it, swearing softly in German. Turning around, he looked at Raven and sighed, shaking his head.  
  
"How could he have known ve vould try und get here by zhe secret passage?" he asked.  
  
"Do I look like I know the answer to that?" Raven asked, walking up slowly. "I can't believe we fell for it."  
  
"I can't believe Varren vas right!" Kurt countered, raising his eyebrows slightly. Leaning against the door, he sighed and crossed his arms across his chest. "Vhat do ve do now?" he asked.  
  
"We wait here for his highness to get his sorry ass here." Raven sighed, resting her head against the bars.  
  
"Verdammtr mist." Kurt muttered.  
  
"Just kick the door harder!" Bobby suggested. With a loud thud, Warren collapsed to the ground, his head pounding from slamming himself against the door. Rubbing his head, he looked at Bobby with a frown.  
  
"Easy for you to say! You're not the one doing it!" he shot back, standing up slowly. Smoothing out his feathers, he looked at the door and sighed, sitting down.  
  
"We're not going to be able to get that thing open." He said.  
  
"Maybe if I concentrate hard enough, I'll be able to get my ice powers to work." Bobby said, cracking his knuckles a bit.  
  
"If you try that, you'll only hurt yourself badly. You might even put yourself into a coma if you put too much energy into it." Both Warren and Bobby whirled around, finding that a man was sitting in the corner of their cell.  
  
"Where the hell did you come from!?" Bobby cried. "I didn't even see you there!" The man, his head bald and his eyes a piercing blue, shook his head a bit.  
  
"That is because you were not paying attention to your surroundings. You just focused on that door and tried to find a way out of here." He said calmly. Thinking quickly, Warren pointed a wing at him.  
  
"You must be one of those powerful Gifted people Graydon captured!" he said.  
  
"Yes," the man nodded, smiling faintly. "My name is Charles Xavier."  
  
"Hold still or I won't be able to get this bandage tight enough." Margali scolded Rogue softly, looking down at her broken wrist.  
  
"So you're Amanda's mom?" Kitty asked, tilting her head to one side. Nodding, Margali finished up and weaved a small spell over the bandages.  
  
"Yes, I'm her mother. You've seen her on your way here haven't you?" she asked, looking up at Rogue seriously.  
  
"We did." Kitty nodded. "Kurt had her sent to a safe place while we went here to get you and the others out of here. Guess that didn't work like we planned huh?" Kitty laughed weakly.  
  
"How badly hurt was she?" Margali asked.  
  
"She wasn't that bad. . ." Kitty started. Margali narrowed her eyes.  
  
"I want the truth. Don't spare me the details just because I'm her mother." She ordered calmly. Sighing, Kitty looked into her eyes.  
  
"Her eyes were gouged out and she was really thin. She told Kurt that the men had raped her too." She answered. She and Rogue winced as stone cracked under Margali's rage.  
  
"I knew they were going to do something like that too her!" she hissed, almost too herself. "I begged them to take me away to do it but no, Graydon had to do it to her instead!" More stones started to shatter before Margali suddenly cried out and stopped her magic outpouring.  
  
"Wot was tha'?" Rogue asked, looking at the cracked rocks. Shaking her head a bit, Margali pulled on the collar around her neck.  
  
"When my emotions get the better of me, my magic starts to pour out on their own. This collar is what stops me from tearing this damned place down stone by stone and stops you and your friends from using their own powers." She explained. "When you try it, you get a shock. The more you try to use your power, the higher the shock gets."  
  
"What I want to know is what Graydon wants with you all." Logan said, crossing his arms across his chest and leaning against a stonewall. Erik sighed, closing his eyes for a moment before he opened them again.  
  
"It seems that Graydon has discovered a way to make a device that could easily link all the minds of the Gifted together by using Charles Xavier; the world's most powerful telepath." He said.  
  
"What kind of device?" Piotr asked, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
"Well, it's more of a crystal really, but what it needs to power it is two powerful witches and Charles to make it work in connecting all of the minds of the Gifted." Erik explained.  
  
"What does he need you and Hank for then if his main focus is magic and telepathy?" Logan asked.  
  
"He has all ready tried to use it without my help and Hank's and it has failed horribly, merely shattering a few ear drums and glass windows in the process. Apparently, the crystal Cerebro needs to be placed in some kind of metal holder. Since I don't know what kind to make, Hank will have to instruct him. Of course, that's assuming that we will actually cooperate with Graydon." He added with a sigh.  
  
"How do you think he'll try to make you do it?" Piotr asked. Erik tilted his head to one side, his snow-white hair falling over his ice blue eyes.  
  
"Something tells me that the fact that Raven and I were old allies will play into this somehow." He said.  
  
"You mean he's gonna threaten you with Raven?"  
  
"No, more like he's going to threaten her son to make her get to me." Erik answered with a stifled yawn. "It doesn't matter though. I'm not going to give in to this stupid bastard's demands because I know you and your colleagues are going to figure out a way out of here." He said.  
  
"Well what if we don't?"  
  
"Then I'm afraid your friend Kurt is going to die because I'm not going to give in to a human." Erik answered with a shrug, looking away quietly with his arms across his chest. 


	18. A Deal

Kurt sat in the corner of their cell, thinking quietly to himself as he bit his lower lip. Looking at the ceiling, he narrowed his eyes and slowly stood up, trying to find some kind of crack or fault somewhere. When he found none, he went to the door and ran his fingers down it, trying to find something. Finding nothing, he snarled and kicked the door hard, crying out and hopping around, holding his throbbing foot.  
  
"Verdammtr mist! Das schmerzt!" he howled, sitting down with a thud. Raven shook her head slightly, rolling her eyes a bit at her headstrong son. Sitting down beside him, she looked from his foot to the door with a sigh and another shake of her head.  
  
"Of course it hurts. Your foot was no match for a metal door, Kurt." She said. "Why don't you calm down and wait? There is nothing we can do until Graydon or someone comes in here and gets us." She advised him calmly. Sighing, Kurt let go of his foot.  
  
"Vell vhat do ve do vhen someone does come here to take us to zhe king?" he asked. "Are ve going to attack or simply give up und let zhem lead us around vith zhese verdammt collars. Maybe ve could help zhem pick out leashes too, ja?"  
  
"Attack with what, Kurt?" Raven asked, getting irritated. " We don't have our weapons and we can't use our powers because of these collars." Raven said. "I think we need to cooperate with them for as long as we have to before we start planning on fighting them." Sighing softly, Kurt finally nodded.  
  
"All right, zhen. Ve vill go along vith your plan of letting zhem lead us along, but vhen I see an opening to attack und get us avay, I am taking it und zhat is a promise!" he said.  
  
"Oh please, do start a fight with me. I would just love to see if your skin smells like burnt fur when I ignite it." Stepping inside, St. John smiled at Kurt, a small flame the size of a coin rolling between his fingers back and forth. Growling, Kurt got up and was about to charge when Raven grabbed him by the arms and pulled him back swiftly.  
  
"Smart move, Raven. You don't want your son getting killed before he gets to the king now do you?" St. John laughed, the flame turning into a skull and crossbones over his hand.  
  
"Vhat are you talking about?" Kurt asked, his eyes narrowed and his teeth bared. St. John shrugged, closing his hand around the flame, extinguishing it calmly. He looked over at Raven and he winked.  
  
"I'm not here to start a fight with either one of you. I'm only supposed to get Kurt and bring him to the throne room to meet with the king." He explained, smiling nastily. "He told me that if I met resistance, to kill you as slowly as possible to make Kurt cooperate." He added with a shrug. He turned to Kurt and shrugged. "Are you ready to go now?" he asked.  
  
Looking at Raven for a moment, Kurt slowly stood up and turned to St. John, his eyes still narrowed dangerously. He nodded faintly and walked out of the room, keeping his eyes on St. John the whole time as he closed and relocked the door.  
  
"All right then, Kurt. Get yourself up those stairs nice and easy, and I won't have to hurt you." St. John instructed, using a little flame from a torch to make a spear. He pointed the blade at Kurt's chest and waited for him to get moving. Growling softly in his throat, Kurt turned around and headed up the steps.  
  
When they reached the top, Kurt found the halls almost packed with armed guards, all of them alert and ready with their blades and spears. Cocking an eyebrow, he looked over at St. John.  
  
"Vorried I met try to attack you und zhat your fire vill not be enough?" he taunted, scoffing softly. St. John shrugged, pointing the way to the throne room.  
  
"It pays to be cautious with rebels like you." He answered. "Now please, we must not keep the king waiting for too long." He added, prodding his back lightly. Wincing faintly, Kurt started to walk.  
  
"I have one question though, mein freund." He said, tilting his head to one side. "Vhat is a Gifted person like you doing vorking for Graydon? You know he is planning on killing us all." He said. St. John snorted, curling his lip scornfully as he pricked Kurt's back deeper this time.  
  
"Don't ever try to put me in the same category as yourself." He snapped. "Unlike you and the other fools, I know how Graydon works. All you have to do is offer your services to him, and you'll be on the safe side when the line is drawn in the sand." He answered.  
  
Opening the doors, he stepped back and motioned for Kurt to go inside. Kurt laughed softly, not moving anywhere near the door.  
  
"Vhat's zhe matter? You don't vant to go inside vith me?" he asked.  
  
"You're the only one allowed in there, smart ass." St. John snapped. "Now just get in there before I set your feet on fire!" he warned, his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. Shrugging, Kurt sauntered into the room and watched as St. John closed the door. Turning around, he saw Graydon standing in front of his throne, watching him with amused eyes.  
  
"Vhat is zhis about, Graydon?" he asked, walking up to him slowly, his arms spread out slightly. "Do you vant to try und threaten me? Try all you vant, you don't scare me." He said.  
  
"Actually, I called you here to give you a proposition I think you'll like." Graydon answered, shrugging slightly. Kurt cocked an eyebrow, before he laughed slightly.  
  
"Oh ja, of course. Ve all know how understanding you are, Graydon. Vhy don't you stop lying und tell me vhat you vant instead of beating around zhe bush so much?" he demanded. He swiftly got into a fighting position as Graydon turned around to get something.  
  
"Don't worry." Graydon said, showing him that all he had reached for was a bottle of elderberry wine and two glasses. He handed Kurt and glass and filled them both. Kurt watched him drink from his glass and he snorted.  
  
"What's the matter?" Graydon asked, his face a picture of innocence. Kurt held out his glass, raising his eyebrows.  
  
"Do I look foolish to you?" Kurt asked, tilting his head to one side. "You capture me und my friends in cells, you are known for murdering Gifted people for fun, und now you offer me vine? Hmm, I could never possibly zhink zhe glass vas poisoned." He explained, placing the glass in Graydon's hand. "I need you to drink all around zhe rim first, bitte." Graydon chuckled, sipping around half the rim before he spoke.  
  
"You're a smart man, Kurt. I think it will be a pleasure doing business with you." He said, finishing off the rest of the rim. Refilling the glass, he handed it back to Kurt. Shrugging, Kurt took a light sip, barely even tasting the wine in his mouth.  
  
"I am cautious around predators." He said simply. "Now you vere talking about a deal?" he prodded, cocking an eyebrow slightly.  
  
"Yes, I hear you are skilled with the sword." Graydon said, his eyes sparkling with unknown intent. Kurt shrugged, sipping his minimal amount once more.  
  
"Ja, I am pretty good vith rapiers." He said, shrugging. He narrowed his eyes faintly. "Vhy?" he asked.  
  
"I have been known to be able to use the bastard sword with a skill myself. Five former masters trained me in fact. My deal is this; you and I will have a sword fight. . ." Kurt burst into laughter before he even got to finish the sentence.  
  
"You und I? A sword fight? Do you take me for a fool?" he asked. "You vill cheat somehow und kill me zhe first chance you get!" he said, curling his lip slightly.  
  
"Of course I won't! When it comes to sword fights, I am very serious. Now, if you win the fight, you and your friends go free, and I stop killing your people. If you lose, you must make your mother's friend cooperate with my wishes." Graydon said seriously.  
  
"How do I know you vill keep your vord on zhis?" Kurt asked, looking into his glass and swirling the crimson liquid around. He looked up when he heard metal clattering together, and he saw Graydon holding the keys to his collar.  
  
"When we fight, your collar will be off and you will be able to use your powers." Graydon assured him, smiling slowly. Looking at the keys to his collar, Kurt thought quietly to himself the odds of him being able to teleport and get as many of them out of the castle as he could before Graydon's army got to him. The odds weren't so good. Narrowing his eyes, he calculated the odds of him beating Graydon in a dual, and the odds were much higher with that one.  
  
Slowly, Kurt returned Graydon's smile, downing the wine this time.  
  
"You have a deal." He agreed. 


	19. Battle

A few hours later and Kurt found himself being brought to a large empty room just below the throne room, but above the dungeons and their foul odors. Up high on the walls, there were large crystal windows, with purple drapes fluttering all the way down to the ground. Large pillars with fires blazing were set up in a semi-circle around the main area.  
  
Looking around the room, Kurt cocked an eyebrow slightly and he turned to Graydon, his right hand on his hip as he used his left to indicate the entire room with a sweep.  
  
"You said my friends vould be able to vatch us fight to make sure it is done fairly." He said. "But zhere is no one in here und even if zhey vere here, zhere vould be no room for us to battle properly." Graydon pointed to the sidewall that seemed to be made of white marble, smiling faintly at Kurt's mistrust.  
  
"That stone is cut very thin on the other side." He explained. "They can see everything perfectly." He explained. "I assure you, I am keeping all of my promises." He said. "As for promises. . ." Turning to a small table covered in red velvet, he lifted the velvet and revealed Kurt's rapiers. "Take one or both, it makes no difference." He said, stepping back.  
  
Kurt walked up and slowly picked up both of his rapiers, lifting the blades into the light and narrowing his eyes, trying to see if there was anything amiss with the blades or hilts. He twirled them around a bit, listening to the wind singing as if he were playing two flutes.  
  
When he was satisfied that his blades had not been tampered in any way, he took his left rapier and rested it back on the table, wrapping it lightly with the red velvet. Turning back to Graydon, he indicated his head towards the keys he still had in his pocket.  
  
"Vhat about zhis collar?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow slightly. Graydon tossed him the keys and he caught them easily, slipping them into the lock and turning it, the collar falling off with a soft click. Rubbing his neck, Kurt tossed the keys over to Graydon.  
  
Slipping the keys back into his pocket, Graydon walked up to another table and lifted up his bastard sword. The blade was black and covered in green etchings, some of them looking like runes to Kurt. The hilt was twisted red leather and the pommel ended with an onyx. Turning to Kurt, Graydon swiped his blade once to his side, smiling slowly.  
  
"Are you ready to begin?" he asked, arching an eyebrow slightly. Looking at Graydon's feet, Kurt smiled faintly and he nodded, leaning back on his heels slightly as his hand tightened around his rapier's hilt.  
  
"Ja, I'm ready." He nodded. The words had barely left his mouth when Graydon charged at him, his sword held high. Kurt performed a back flip, dodging the first two swings, and he kicked out at the third, knocking the blade away as he teleported to the other side of the room.  
  
"Now zhat vas not very nice!" he said, shaking his head as he got into the en garde position. "You should have vaited for me, mein herr." Without a word, Graydon charged at him, swinging his sword with both hands.  
  
A loud clang rang out as both their blades collided. For someone using a blade thinner and smaller than Graydon's giant and thick bastard sword, Kurt was able to hold his side up with ease, even smiling at Graydon whose face looked strained.  
  
"Vhat is zhe matter, mein herr?" he asked, tilting his head to one side. "Ve have only just begun!" He teleported behind Graydon and kicked him in the back, sending him sprawled on the ground. Laughing, he backed up and waited for Graydon to get up, smiling and baring his teeth at him.  
  
Graydon charged at him once more, swinging his blade from side to side swiftly. Kurt looked as if he was dancing around him as he placed his hands behind his back and dodged the blows, leaping over his head and landing in a crouch.  
  
"Mein Gott! If I had known I vas fighting an arthritic elephant, I vould have offered to vear a blindfold to make it fair, ja?" he laughed, standing up and flicking his rapier from side to side.  
  
"You won't be laughing for too long!" Graydon snarled standing up slowly and wiping his mouth clean of blood and spittle. Smiling wickedly at Kurt, he slowly started to walk in a circle towards Kurt.  
  
Narrowing his eyes slightly, Kurt walked in the opposite direction, the two of them circling each other with their blades held readily. Graydon lashed out first and Kurt deflected the blow, the two of them lashing out four times before going back to their deadly circling once more.  
  
Teleporting, Kurt appeared above Graydon and slashed down on his shoulder, forcing Graydon to throw himself to the ground and roll away to avoid a deeper cut than the one he received. Kicking out at Kurt's feet, he almost knocked him onto his back but he teleported and reappeared a few feet away, crouched down.  
  
"Nice try, mein herr. If I vas not a teleporter, zhat may have knocked me on mein ass!" he laughed, standing up and running at Graydon. Before Graydon could react, Kurt leapt up and flipped over his head, landing behind him with his rapier ready. Turning around, Graydon looked at Kurt with narrowed eyes but a wide smile that showed his teeth was on his face. Softly, he started to laugh.  
  
"Vhat is so funny?" Kurt asked, bracing himself for anything. Their blades connected and they both pressed forward, their noses almost touching as they looked into each other's eyes.  
  
"I was just thinking about all the trouble I've gone through to finally get you and Raven in my clutches." Graydon explained, pressing harder on his blade. Kurt pressed against his own, but he found that for some reason, he couldn't get it to match Graydon's. Seeing the look of surprise on Kurt's face, Graydon laughed and pressed harder.  
  
"You see; I have my own personal vendetta against you and your damned mother!" Graydon explained calmly. "Your mother killed my father in his sleep! The bitch slit his throat and his blood soaked the entire bed!" He had Kurt nearly kneeling on the ground with the amount of pressure he was using.  
  
"You're probably wondering why you can't push back right?" he asked, looking into Kurt's eyes. "Well the answer's really simple." He bit down hard and spit something out onto Kurt's face. Looking down at the ground, Kurt saw a fake tooth broken in half; powder had been stored inside of it. His eyes grew wide in realization as he looked back up at the leering Graydon.  
  
"I let that muscle laxative fall into your wine when you made me try your glass! You won't be able to move at all in a few more minutes!" Kicking out, Graydon sent Kurt sprawled on the ground on his back, pressing his sword against his throat, nearly breaking the skin.  
  
"Now I can have my revenge on you and mother!" he said, his eyes glittering once more.  
  
"Mutter?" Kurt asked.  
  
"Yes," Graydon nodded, "my mother." Graydon smiled slowly, his eyes laughing with him. "How are you, brother?" 


	20. Family Ties

Kurt's eyes grew wide as he looked at Graydon's smiling face. He shook his head slowly, ignoring how tired he was starting to feel in his entire body. He slowly tried to sit up, but he promptly fell back down with a painful smack to the back of his head, the pain seeming to ripple all around his head and brain.  
  
"Nein, you are lying." He said softly, gritting his teeth and biting his tongue to keep the feeling going in his mouth. Looking Kurt over, Graydon snorted and flicked his blade away, nicking Kurt's skin and leaving a thin trail of blood behind. Kurt flinched weakly, sucking his breath between his teeth.  
  
"I wish I was lying!" he spat, his eyes narrowed. "Haven't you ever wondered what our beloved mother was doing for four whole years when she only needed one night to kill my father? Hasn't that question ever entered your mind?" he asked. He kicked Kurt in the side, making him cry out and make a feeble attempt at curling up into the ball, his muscles so loose and unresponsive.  
  
"I'll tell you why! It's because she got herself knocked up with me! My father offered her power and she took it, she didn't even care about you or Rogue back then. All she wanted was money. When she had me her second year as queen, she stayed around for two more years before she got bored and slew my father." Graydon's eyes became dangerous as he spoke, his teeth showing more and more with each sentence. Taking his foot, he placed it over Kurt's throat and he slowly started to press down on it.  
  
"Do you know what it's like to be king of a great empire, and learn that the scum you hate and kill are part of your own blood line?!" he shouted down at him, pressing down harder and harder very slowly. Kurt gagged and tried to push his foot away, his head feeling woozy.  
  
"Does it hurt?" Graydon asked, slowly leaning down so close their faces were inches apart. "Does it feel like your head is going to explode? Good, because I'm going to make you suffer before I finally hang you outside with the rest of my little garden! Maybe I'll put our adopted sister beside you? How would that sound?" he asked. Kurt wheezed, gritting his teeth weakly. Removing his foot, Graydon kicked the side of his head hard.  
  
Groaning, Kurt was thrown a few inches from where he had lain, now laying on his face. Slowly, he tried to make his arms lift himself up, and he made it a few inches, his arms trembling with the amount of effort it took for him to stay up. He spit out some blood and he turned his head to look up at Graydon.  
  
"You vill not touch my family." He whispered hoarsely, coughing up some more blood. "I. . . vill not let you touch any of zhem!" he growled, his bloody teeth bared at him. Slowly, he turned into his demon form and he found he could move a little bit easier in this form. His tail flicked back and forth slowly, as if he was in water.  
  
Getting up on all fours, Kurt looked like a cornered animal as he slowly backed up and glared up at Graydon with his yellow eyes, his fangs bared. He pressed his back up against the wall before he finally stopped and waited for Graydon to do something.  
  
Laughing, Graydon picked up Kurt's rapier and swished it about, making the air hiss like a serpent of some kind. He slowly started to walk up to Kurt, laughing harder when he hissed and arched his back slowly like a cat does when threatened.  
  
"Yes, I knew you would do something like this eventually! Turn into the monster you really are! When I kill you, I'm going to skin your hide and use it for a carpet!" he snarled, his eyes narrowed. Before Kurt could react, Graydon lashed out with the rapier and struck his back with the flat of the blade, making him howl and stumble as he tried to get away on all fours. Graydon continued to laugh, following after Kurt, the rapier swishing in the air.  
  
"Keep running, monster! I'll just beat you harder when I catch you!" Taking three long strides, he reached Kurt and struck him across the shoulders, knocking him to the ground. Before Kurt could get up, he kicked his chest as hard as he could, sending him slamming against the wall.  
  
Kurt lay prone on the ground, his body trembling. He looked up at Graydon and he quickly covered his head with his arms as he was whipped across his back and shoulders with his own rapier blade. When Graydon finally stopped and backed away, Kurt stayed curled up in a ball, his body trembling.  
  
"Oh come on!" Graydon said, throwing the rapier away. "Try and fight me! I was hoping I would get more of a fight from you than this. Who would have thought that someone who claims to be brave and a warrior is just a coward and a weakling who weeps in a ball of blue fur!" he spat. Kicking Kurt in the side once more, he backed up and looked down at him with pure disgust.  
  
"You know what? Maybe I should let you live for a while longer; don't you think so? Then, when I kill our mother and adopted sister, I'll be able to force you to watch and listen to every scream they make!" he taunted. "What's the matter? Don't you want to say anything?" he asked. He leaned in close to Kurt's face. "What is it?"  
  
With a blood-curdling howl, Kurt leapt on top of Graydon and ran his claws into his cheeks, ripping into his flesh. Both of them rolled on the ground, Graydon screaming in pain and Kurt in rage. Graydon kicked Kurt off with both of his feet, and Kurt landed in a crouch, his tail lashing back and forth wildly.  
  
"You vill not touch mein family!" he snarled, standing up slowly. He swayed slowly from side to side, but he still kept footing and he kept his gaze locked with Graydon's. "I don't care vhether or not you are mein brother, I vill not hesitate to kill you to protect mein mutter und mein schwester! Gott help me, I am going to kill you!" With that said, Kurt teleported to the table and took his other rapier, leaping away from Graydon as he scooped up his other one, crouching down with each one in one hand.  
  
"Say your prayers, mein brother!" he snarled, baring his fangs. "Tonight, you go to Hell!" 


	21. Desperation

Graydon had only been telling half the truth when it came to who was watching behind the thin wall. Someone was indeed watching the progress of the battle, but it wasn't any of Kurt's friends and it wasn't to make sure the game was done fairly either. St. John and some of his soldiers were watching to see if Graydon needed any help. When Kurt pounced on top of him, St. John sent his soldiers running to the room as he headed for the dungeons, going to plan B.  
  
Graydon's orders had been precise when it came to what happened if the blue freak got the better of him in the battle. St. John opened the cell door that he thought had Rogue and he found only the Russian, Erik, and the one called Logan. Shrugging inwardly, he ordered them out of their cells. When they refused to move, he used a nearby torch to make a fire whip.  
  
As St. John lifted the whip to lash out at them, Piotr ran into him and rammed him up against the wall, giving Logan and Erik the time they needed to look for the keys to their collars. Before they could use them, St. John sent an arrow of fire through Erik's hand, making it useless.  
  
"You're really getting on my nerves." Logan growled, narrowing his eyes. Without thinking about it, his claws shot and he lashed out at St. John, ripping his face off without further ado. Looking at his claws, he raised his eyebrows and shrugged as he got the keys and opened the cell doors.  
  
"Looks like the collar only works for my healing factor!" he said, slicing off the collar calmly. When all of the doors were unlocked and the collars were off, Raven had a plan all set up as soon as she looked down at St. John's body and up the stairs.  
  
"We need to get upstairs and find Graydon. He took my son up there two hours ago and I haven't heard anything about him. I don't even know what he's doing to him." She said seriously.  
  
"We need to destroy the crystal as well. If we leave this castle and Graydon still has it in his possession, it will be like this all over again, but I fear we won't be able to stop him that time." Xavier said calmly.  
  
"We don't even know where it is, pops! What are we going to do; run around the castle with guards chasing after us looking for this damned thing?" Bobby asked, cocking an eyebrow arrogantly. Xavier looked at him calmly and sent a swift mental slap that sent him sprawling on the ground.  
  
"Do not be smart with me, Bobby Drake." He said. "I could melt your brain and then reshape it to look like a peanut. Although, something tells me that is the exact shape and size it is all ready."  
  
"Look, we'll split up in two groups. Chuck, you pick a group and go after the crystal while I go and try to help the elf with whatever problems he's going through with the king right now." Logan said, giving Bobby a shut-the-hell-up-right-now look.  
  
Kurt shoved Graydon against one of the torches, sending it smashing to the ground on one of the curtains, setting it on fire a few moments later as the two battled on. Blows were deflected while others hit their marks, both of them bleeding from their various wounds.  
  
Kurt had lost one of his rapiers when he charged at Graydon and slashed across his face. It wouldn't have been able to be used anyway; since Graydon had been able to stab into his right arm deep enough to make him unable to even lift it. Now he fought, his right arm pressed against his chest.  
  
When the soldiers were finally able to break through the door, Graydon quickly took that time to retreat and shouted for them to kill Kurt now. Kurt waited for the men to get close before he lashed out like wild, using his blade, fangs, and claws to kill and maim them, sending the one survivor running from the room.  
  
Seeing the room blazing, Graydon turned around and followed after the guard, his sword still in his hands. He shouted out orders as he ran by guards, too terrified to turn around to face the thudding sounds of Kurt's feet coming after him at a charge.  
  
Kurt leapt up into the air, ready to take Graydon down when Logan reached the top of the stairs instead. Before he could teleport, he landed on top of Logan and the two of them fell back down the stairs. With a crash they landed on top of Warren, his feathers flying all over.  
  
"Kurt! What the hell happened to you?" Logan cried, pushing him back so he could sit up. "You fought him didn't you?" he asked, looking at his wounded arm. When he saw the marks on his back and shoulders, he looked Kurt in the eyes and raised his eyebrows slightly in question.  
  
"You should see the vounds I gave him aftervards." Kurt said weakly. "I ran mein claws through his cheeks!" he laughed faintly. When he looked up at Raven, his smile died away slowly and his tail flicked faintly as he slowly tried to stand up.  
  
"Graydon is trying to get avay from us." He said, looking at the ground. "Ve need to catch him now before it is too late. Zhe castle is starting to burn from a toppled over torch. Zhis place is not going to last long if it spreads."  
  
"Are you sure you wouldn't want one of us to help you get out of here?" Raven asked, resting a hand on his shoulder lightly. Kurt flinched slightly but he looked at her and shook his head.  
  
"Nein, mutter. I vant to see Graydon suffer." He said. "Help me valk." He leaned heavily on Raven, gritting his teeth as they climbed up the steps once more. Turning his head to face his mother, he pressed his mouth against her ear and whispered so only she could hear him.  
  
"You never told us Graydon vas mein half-brother, mutter! You hid zhat from me for years und zhat is vhat he used against me vhen he vhipped me vith mein sword!" Raven gasped softly, looking at Kurt with wide eyes. He looked away quietly, muffling a groan as his back starting to sting once more.  
  
Tilting his head up slowly, choosing to ignore what Kurt was saying with his mother, his hearing able to pick up every word he had said, he sniffed the air and narrowed his eyes, pointing left.  
  
"We need to go this way!" he said, starting off without another word about it. Frowning slightly, Kurt stopped and pointed right, pulling his mother in that direction as well.  
  
"Graydon vent zhis vay, Logan!" he said. Suddenly, a soldier on fire came running down the hall from that direction. He was screaming wildly and his arms flailed around uselessly as he headed right for them. Scooping up a small pebble, Remy charged it and hurled it at the guard, killing him swiftly before he got too close to them.  
  
"I t'ink dat be y' answer 'bout dat way, homme!" he said, watching the fire start to spread onto a tapestry. "If we go dat way, we gonna git 'urt from dat fire y' started!" he said.  
  
"We also need to help Chuck get the crystal since we can't reach Graydon, Elf!" Logan added. "Come on!" Narrowing his eyes, Kurt waited for the others to start going before he teleported himself and Raven past the flames.  
  
"Kurt, bring us back to the others! You're in no condition to fight anyone or anything right now!" Raven cried, looking at him worriedly. Kurt looked at her, and he started to limp down the hall.  
  
"Ve must take care of Graydon here und now, mutter. After all, he is our family's problem now isn't he? Und our family deals vith its problems!" he said. Raven slipped under his arm and helped him walk on.  
  
"Kurt, I know you're a little upset. . ." she started, not daring to look at him.  
  
"A little?! Mutter, why I must learn zhis terrible secret from Graydon und not you, mein own mutter? Vhy didn't you ever tell me und Rogue vhy you stayed for four years vhen you only needed a day to do your job?!" Kurt snapped his eyes narrowed in anger.  
  
"Because I knew you would be upset and now look at you! You're shouting at me and going on an insane mission to kill him!" Raven cried. Shaking his head a bit, Kurt looked a head and continued to walk.  
  
"I am in no mood to argue about zhis vith you, mutter." He said simply. "I am going to do zhis und zhen it vill be over und done vith. Zhere vill be no more discussion about zhis."  
  
"Should one of us go after him?" Bobby asked, cocking an eyebrow as he looked where Kurt had gone. When he turned back around, he saw that Logan and the others were walking on without looking back.  
  
"Why should we? When the Elf has his mind set, it'll take an actual act of God to stop him." Scott said, shrugging a bit. "Besides, we have more important things to worry about at the moment." He added.  
  
"Where are we supposed to find this crystal anyway? Charles went off with the others without telling us a thing about its location." Warren pointed out, looking around. Logan ran up the steps after he sniffed the air again.  
  
"It'll be up here somewhere." He shouted down to them.  
  
"How do you know?" Piotr asked.  
  
"I can smell their scents from weeks ago." He said calmly. "If I can keep picking up their scents, it will lead us right to the crystal." He explained. Hearing thundering from down below, Warren turned around and he ground.  
  
"God damn it!" he growled, spreading his wings out wide to get into the air. "Why are these people so damned stupid? The castle is on fire and these people are still trying to fight us!"  
  
"They're desperate to do something to please their king before they leave. Taking our heads would be a good way to get on his good side." Logan said, turning around and unleashing his claws. "Let's make this quick; we fight a few, drive 'em back, and then we run up these stairs and continue to follow the scent to the crystal."  
  
Nodding grimly, they all charged at the soldiers, screaming wildly as mutant powers and human blades clashed amid the blazing flames of a brother's hatred towards another. 


	22. Almost There

Logan disemboweled the first soldier he met, ripping his guts out easily and throwing them to the side as he went for the next one with a snarl. As Warren fought, he saw the look of desperation in his enemy's eyes and he was surprised, wondering why the hell they were so desperate to fight when they knew they had no chance of winning. Warren didn't have the time to think about this however as he nearly lost a wing to a swipe of the sword.  
  
Backing up slowly, Scott closed his eyes tightly and he concentrated, sparks starting to show from under his eyelids. His whole body started to tremble from the effort of holding back the blast and he finally got ready to let it go.  
  
"Everyone! Step aside now!" he shouted. Everyone threw themselves to the ground as Scott opened his eyes, a wide eyebeam streaming forward, incinerating the soldiers closest to him and throwing back the others.  
  
"Nice work." Logan said, patting his shoulder as he ran up the stairs swiftly. "That little stunt will have saved us some time when it comes to getting the hell out of here!"  
  
"Yeah, I know; but now my head hurts like hell!" Scott cried, following after him. Logan had his sense of smell raised to its extent following it swiftly as he ran down the hallway, moving very fast for a man his size and stature. It looked like he was about to run past a door when he suddenly stopped, sliding a few feet before he finally stopped.  
  
"This one." He said, pointing to it. He tried to open the door but it was locked. Looking over at Remy, he stepped back and motioned for him to charge the knob. Remy did so easily, the knob bursting apart with a pink explosion.  
  
"Mon Dieu!" he whispered, raising his eyebrows slowly. "Dat is one big diamond!"  
  
Cerebro rested on a velvet cushion, light from a torch behind it making it look like it was glowing bright yellow. It was shaped almost like a heart, its surface smooth and polished often. Looking at it closer, Logan saw that there were tiny veins of silver and gold running through it.  
  
"Do you think we should bring this with us?" Warren asked. "It looks too big to simply run out of a burning castle with it!" Logan thought about it, before Charles and his group showed up.  
  
"We need to destroy it." He said, walking up to the crystal slowly. He ran a hand down it and narrowed his eyes slightly, his blue eyes glowing slightly as he narrowed them.  
  
"I'm going to need help with this." He said. "Erik? Margali? I need you to concentrate your powers on this crystal as hard as you can to try and tear it apart."  
  
"What about you?" Erik asked, arching an eyebrow. "Surely, you won't be just standing there letting us do all the work?"  
  
"I will use my telepathy to assist in the process." Charles answered.  
  
"If you do that, you're mind will be connected with the crystal. You may be killed when it shatters." Margali pointed out.  
  
"It's a risk we need to take right now." Charles said, closing his eyes. "Get ready!"  
  
Graydon stumbled down the stairs to the underground exit from the castle, shoving away the few servants who had reached it. Opening a large steel door, he slammed it shut on them, locking it so that they were trapped in the castle.  
  
"Fools!" he hissed, running down the hall. "No one is going to make it out of there but me! When I do, I'll get Cerebro and figure out another way to kill the Gifted! No one is going to ruin my plans!" he said to himself.  
  
He screamed and jumped back when a cloud of purple erupted in front of him. He shook his head slowly.  
  
"You should be dead by now!" he shouted at Kurt and Raven, clenching his hands tightly.  
  
"Not vithout you!" Kurt snarled, narrowing his eyes. "Ve are one big happy family now, brother. Und you know vhat zhey say about family? Blood is zhicker zhan vater!" Turning his head to Raven he smiled and tilted his head to one side towards Graydon. "Mutter?" Raising her hand, Raven showed Graydon that she was holding a loaded crossbow.  
  
Everyone watched anxiously as the three powerful Gifted focused all of their powers and energy into tearing the crystal apart. Margali's hair was raised slightly, as if there was a strong breeze blowing by that only affected her. Erik's eyes were wide open and glowing bright blue as he gritted his teeth a bit. They were both fine, it was Charles that everyone was worried about.  
  
The telepath was not looking good at all. He was breaking out into a heavy sweat and the veins on his head were starting to stick up and looking very purple at the moment. His body was trembling as he entered the mind of every Gifted person alive, trying to ignore everything in there as he focused on Cerebro.  
  
Very slowly, a crack started to appear on the side of the crystal. The crack seemed to dance it swerved and moved all over its surface, looping around and turning in awkward angles a bit. When it finally stopped, everyone clapped their hands to their ears as they heard a loud piercing screech in their minds.  
  
All over the world, Gifted fell to their knees as a loud screeching noise rang out in their heads, the sound slowly getting louder and louder. No one knew what was going on and some thought they were dying at that moment.  
  
The crystal was starting to glow on its own, the colors going from gold to silver swiftly. The flashes of colors kept going faster and faster until they both shone together, making Warren's ears start to bleed badly. With the loud sound like glass shattering, Cerebro broke into pieces. Charles collapsed to the ground with a moan, his ears and nose bleeding badly.  
  
"Is he dead?" Scott asked as Logan scooped him up.  
  
"That's not our problem right now." Logan said, leaving the room at a run. "We need to get out of here!" The fire had spread wildly by now, the stars starting to catch fire next. Narrowing his eyes, Logan backed up and tried to figure out how they were going to get out of here.  
  
Logan's answer teleported beside him with his pointed ears bleeding slightly. Grabbing Logan quickly, Kurt teleported outside and left him and Raven near a tree far from the fire. Teleporting wildly back and forth, Kurt got everyone out before he passed out, both from the exertion from the rapid teleports and the wounds he had suffered from before.  
  
They watched the fire envelope the entire castle, taking everyone inside with it; including the body of Graydon, an arrow in his throat. Looking down at Charles and Kurt, Logan had Piotr pick Charles up as he picked Kurt up and they headed back to their hideout. 


	23. The End

When Kurt opened his eyes, he found himself lying in a soft bed with his wounds all bandaged up tightly. Raising his eyebrows, he slowly sat up and he looked down at his wrapped up arms in confusion. Hearing someone walking up, he looked up and saw Logan. He smiled faintly, tilting his head to one side.  
  
"Vhat happened?" he asked. "I remember teleporting everyone out of zhe castle und zhen. . . nothing!" he said, laughing softly.  
  
"You pushed yourself too hard, Elf. Hank says you could have died from teleporting so much with wounds like yours." Logan explained, sitting in a chair beside the bed. "You're very lucky to be alive you know."  
  
"Ja, I guess so." He nodded, rubbing the back of his head slightly. He winced and dropped his hand down into his lap.  
  
"How is everyone else?" he asked.  
  
"Everyone's fine, a few wounds here and there, but no one died that day." Logan answered. "Chuck had a few close calls but he made it out alive too." He tilted his head to one side, looking as if he was thinking of something. "The whole countries in a state of confusion you know."  
  
"Oh?" Kurt asked, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
"Yeah, everyone is too afraid to try and assume control. The Humans are afraid we'll try to kill them and the Gifted are afraid for obvious reasons. They've sent for help from the Shi'ar Empire across the ocean to fix this up."  
  
"I'm sure Empress Lillandra vill have every zhing all right in zhe end." Kurt said with a shrug. "I'm just glad everyone is all right." They were quiet for a while until he noticed the look on Logan's face.  
  
"Vhat is it?" he asked reluctantly.  
  
"We've formed an agency." Logan answered. "We're all mercenaries for hire now." Kurt laughed, shaking his head.  
  
"Und you are zhe leader, ja?" he asked. He raised his eyebrows in surprise when Logan shook his head. "Zhen who is?"  
  
"Scott."  
  
"Scott?! Zhat boy couldn't lead a horse to vater und back again vithout needing a map und detailed directions!" he cried.  
  
"Xavier thought it would be a good idea." Logan answered with a shrug. "It doesn't matter any way. We've got a job and I want you to be fit and ready for it before we start off."  
  
"Vhat's zhe mission?" Kurt asked. Logan shrugged, leaning back in his chair.  
  
"Some wizard's been making these giant metal golems and sending them after Gifted. He calls them Sentinels or something like that." Logan explained.  
  
"How many are zhere exactly?"  
  
"That's the thing. The base is underground and every other hour thousands more are created and sent out, each one stronger and smarter than the last." Logan answered with a slow smile. "It's a small job really. It will probably only take us a few weeks to finish it off and get our pay." As Kurt burst into laughter, Logan left the room, letting Amanda walk by him.  
  
Amanda had grown healthier looking while Kurt was busy recovering from his wounds. Her skin looked less white and tanner now, and she had started to regain weight to look less like a child's doll. Her blind eyes had been cleaned up with both medical and magical healing, and now they were simply closed without the ability to open and show the empty sockets. She sat down on the bed and leaned forward, kissing Kurt's lips softly.  
  
"I was worried about you." She said softly. Kurt smiled and wrapped his tail around her waist, pulling her in close as he hugged her tightly.  
  
"I vas scared a little vhen I left you vith Bobby." He admitted. "Now I see I had nothing to vorry about!" Giggling softly, Amanda kissed him again and rested her head under his chin.  
  
"How long do you get off before you go on that mission?" she asked, playing with the fur on his chest. Kurt smirked, his fangs glittering slightly.  
  
"A vhile." He said, playing with her hair. "Vhich I zhink is just enough time for us to get started on our vork." He added.  
  
"Work?" Amanda asked, smiling slowly. Kurt nodded slowly, letting her hair go.  
  
"Ve have months of love making to catch up on." 


End file.
